Atari Mania

It all just needs a little more polish: the execution isn’t quite tight enough, the pace not quite brisk enough to achieve that addictive, rapid-fire feel of WarioWare. It’s close, and certainly another entertaining idea from Atari, but unless you’re from the era of the 2600 and its ilk, you’ll probably struggle to look beyond the sloppy feel of this otherwise likeable release.

Atari Mania could be a really fun retro game for both old and young, but the developers failed to translate the imaginative concept into fun gameplay. There is a lot of variable content, but the unresponsive controls cause a lot of frustration.

Atari Mania offers a fun trip to the past for those who are a fan of Atari’s lineage. There is a lot of love sprinkled throughout in the form of collectibles, the variety of mini-games, and the look and sound of the game. What you may not like is the lack of explanation on how to play some of the mini-games and the load times. I would say Atari purists should give this the hardest look while those who are less familiar with the brand will at least want to wait on a sale.

iLLOGIKA Studios’ Atari Mania tugs at the heartstrings of old gamers in a good attempt to reignite interest in Atari 2600 games. The way that the game uses older titles to create mini-games is genius, if not straight from the pages of Wario World. The only caveat is that you get some of that 1980s unforgiving difficulty with it, which at times can make the game a bit unfun. It’s still a solid attempt at creating something new with the Atari brand, and certainly one you should check out.

The difficulty in Atari Mania often feels downright unfair, making retries more frustrating than fun. Mediocre instructions, unclear hitboxes, input lag issues, and occasionally odd control mechanics ruin the experience far too often. There are some good microgames — plenty, in fact — but progress is halted far too frequently for all the wrong reasons. This is a true shame: Atari Mania has a fun and interesting concept, and I really wanted to like it more.

Atari Mania is a great trip down memory lane with a unique twist on the micro-game genre. There are misses here, but there are just as many hits in the mini-games. For kids like me who grew up with these consoles it is fun to see them interpreted in a new way. I wish it was more polished, but this has truly primed me for the massive 50th Anniversary Collection set to release in November.

Atari Mania offers us 50 years of history for the longest-running video game company in this medium, although 'in that way', brought together in a great fruit salad of its milestones of the 70s and 80s. Its meta-referential proposal is so special from the tribute, as irregular when we play it. We are the protagonists of a "Wreck-It Ralph" adventure where the highlight of it are micro-games in the style of Wario Ware or Puzzle & Action, but without the degree of success and enjoyment with the pad in hand. Combining franchises in these quick tests is as ingenious as the frustration and bad milk that is done with many of them, taking its toll when it comes to advancing and completing a game that is not too long, which knows how to get smiles and charm from its sympathy and nostalgia -dedicated exclusively to those who know these games-, as our most angry side in the face of some tests that are not very well resolved and frustrating.

Retro gaming mash-ups abound, and present quite a challenge, in this somewhat odd and reverent adventure

Despite the problems, Atari Mania is an extremely fun experience. The integration of the gallery with the story mode, which goes straight to the point, the quality and variety of the microgames, the extra content available and the celebration atmosphere make this an excellent and modern retro title, indispensable for those who like the style and for the company fans.

50 years since their creation, Atari is still with us, bringing back their classics and creating new challenges with Atari Mania, a combination of new and classic elements guaranteed to bring the fun!