Look: 8/10 The first thing I noticed, even before finding the manual, was the excellent look. And to think, there were going to be 3 more looks! Okay okay, Stage 1 complete, not a bad run so far

The 2nd stage gameplay look, interestingly elaborate sprite, tho nothing spectacular like Mangia'

I love the "screensaver" function thing's look

Wow even a whole adventure-game-style menu with UI I haven't seen yet in a game

Annnnnnd, the final gameplay style: now we're suddenly a 3d first person RPG dungeon crawler vibe.. whoa

Sound: -/- I honestly was so focused on the game, I didn't even notice it heh. What I did notice, though, was quite well-made and fit the actions quite well for an Atari game.

Play: 8/10 Definitely requires the manual. I knew it wouldn't be just a dodge-and-collect-items game since it was a Starpath game which increases the Atari's capabilities. 3 separate gameplays in this one game. This game is very expansive--literally an action and adventure and action-adventure game... hard to explain ha. It seemed unclear at first but with the last stage--the 3d maze part--you are trying to find an item then go to a "checkpoint." I eventually caved and used these maps, and thank goodness I did. I eventually gave in during the maze part, even with maps to reference (it seems some of it is randomized anyway, namely the locations of the Items needed to cross each Checkpoint). Impressively expansive game, mostly well-done, but I've never been a huge early first-person 3d maze guy--whether RPG, shooter, or maze chase--and even the adventure game-esque bribing guards up toward the temple part got old too (early Zelda vibes for sure). Tho I did push through the 2nd gameplay style. So, mind you, to be clear, this game starts as a dodge-and-collect-resources game as you swim ashore. The more resources you collect, the better off you are for the next steps. The 2nd gameplay style, you play as a walking sprite with many screens to try to survive with the resources you collected from the sea and bribe Guards/find ways up until you reach the temple. Then, finally, the 3rd gameplay style is a first-person 3d maze where you collect a randomly located item then use it on the flashing lights "checkpoints." What a variety! This will earn a 9 if I return to this (more into first person thanks to later games) and enjoy the gameplay overall better--as ambitious as it was and as much as I wanted to love it, I never fully fell in love. Nonetheless, I played this a crapton for an Atari game! (If you aren't familiar, the Starpath Supercharger allowed games like this and Dragonstomper to fit way more data in the game, not to act like I understand any of that stuff heh..)

Feel: 8/10 I'm a fan of games getting more conscious of the save concept, particularly when they clearly integrate it into the game (e.g., the codes they give you in this game to start at the later stages). It's absurd how little attention this game gets/got; I haven't seen anything like it in this project so far, and it actually is executed very well! Tho I didn't have a blast in any single gameplay style, they all were impressive, memorable, and well-done. Even the part that got me to stop playing eventually (the 3d maze part) was created meticulously well, especially for its year (the infamous 1983).

Attachment: 8/10 It's nice to play a game again, like Klonoa the early Zeldas and the good arcade action game, where I know I will return to this at some point because I want to fully beat it. Not that it's the best game I've played in a while, quite the contrary (tho it's certainly one of the most ambitious), but rather that it's a nice reminder of the era where I often boosted this score more so because I was eager to properly finish the game, rather than because I hope I return to some early genre again someday heh.

Completion: 4 Checkpoints (flashing lights, heh) into the Final Stage Playtime: 1hr 45min