Krull

Name:	Krull
Company:	Atari
Model #:	CX-2682
Programmers:	Dave Staugas (Program) & Jerome Domurat (Graphics)
Year:	1983
Released?	Yes
Notes:	Originally planned as an Atari 5200 game.

As you might expect, Krull is based off the 1983 movie of the same name.  If it seems odd to you that Atari would try and take a movie as complex as Krull and make it into a 2600 game, you're not alone.  Krull was originally planned as an Atari 5200 game that would have been similar to the Gottlieb coin-op.  When it finally came time to make the game the 5200 wasn't doing as well as Atari had hoped, so a 2600 game was made instead.  The arcade game was also a bit of flop, so Atari decided to make an original game based on the movie.

Each level in Krull follows one of the main parts of the movie.  You start the game at Colwyn and Lyssa's wedding, where you must fend off the Slayers in a valiant attempt to save your love.  But no matter how many Slayers you kill, they will eventually kidnap Lyssa and take her to the Black Fortress.  The next level takes place in the lair of the Widow of the Web; here you must attempt to learn the location of the fortress.  To learn of its location you must avoid the giant spider and constantly jump the moving strands of the web while making your way to the Widow at the top of the screen.  After the Widow has told you the next location of the fortress you must quickly exit the web and ride to the fortress before sunrise.

Once you make it into the Black Fortress you must attempt to break through the barrier that imprisons Lyssa with your Glaive.  As your attempting to free Lyssa the Beast will move back and forth blocking your shots and throwing fireballs.  If you fail to catch your Glaive after it hits the wall or it hits the Beast you'll lose it.  If you've lost all your Glaives you must go back to the web and learn the next location of the fortress, picking up extra Glaives in the Iron Desert along the way.  Once you successfully free Lyssa she will turn into a fireball for you to throw at the Beast.  If you hit him with this fireball you start the game over at a harder difficulty.

On the surface it may seem that Krull is rather complex and difficult, but for a game based on a movie it really works well.  The three different stages on their own aren't amazing, but together they deliver enough variety to keep the player from getting bored (especially the last stage).  It's a shame that Krull seemed to have such a small print run (making it somewhat rare today) as is is a unique game in the 2600 library and well worth a second look.

A prototype box for Krull exists featuring different artwork.  While the colors and part number are correct for the 2600, the box still says Atari 5200 on it.  This is due to a mix up between the artists and marketing when the game changed systems.

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