720°

About 720°

720° (1986) is Atari Games' skateboarding arcade game in which a skater cruises Skate City between ramp, downhill, slalom and jump events, racing to reach a park before a swarm of killer bees arrives with the cry "SKATE OR DIE!"

720° in Depth

The skater rides around a middle-class neighbourhood, Skate City, using everyday objects as ramps. Tickets grant entry to its four skate parks, called events, and each entry uses one; more tickets come from earning points, so the score is tied directly to how long the game lasts. Outside an event, a bar counts down to the arrival of a swarm of killer bees, captioned "SKATE OR DIE!" Once they arrive, the player has a little time left to reach a park, and the longer the delay, the faster the bees become until they cannot be escaped; being caught ends the game unless more money is inserted. Map icons on the ground show the roads, parks, shops and the player's position, and jumping over hazards earns points.

There are four levels of four events. Ramp has the skater gain height on a half-pipe and perform tricks until time runs out. Downhill is a course of slopes and banks where faster finishes score more. Slalom requires passing between pairs of yellow flags, each gate adding a little time. Jump launches the skater from ramps towards an off-screen bull's-eye, with cryptic marks on the ramp hinting at its position. Good results earn medals and cash to buy better equipment, and completing all sixteen events wins the game.

Making 720°

Atari Games developed and published 720° for arcades in 1986, and it received an overall positive reception from players and critics; Flux later called it "addicting" and completely unique for its time. It was ported widely. Tiertex Design Studios developed the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and first Commodore 64 versions, published by U.S. Gold, and the Commodore 64 received two versions in 1987. The Amstrad and Spectrum versions followed in 1988, an NES version in 1989, and a Game Boy Color version, developed by Game Brains and published by Midway, in March 1999 in North America and Europe. Emulated versions of the arcade game are included in Midway Arcade Treasures, released in 2003 and 2004, and Midway Arcade Origins in 2012.