Rescue on Fractalus!

1984 · Action · Atari 8-bit

Overview

Rescue on Fractalus! (1984) is Lucasfilm Games' first-person flight game: rescue downed pilots on a planet of fractal-generated mountains.

Deep Dive

The pilot of a Valkyrie fighter flies low over the jagged mountains of Fractalus, landing beside downed pilots and letting them climb aboard while fending off gun emplacements and saucers. The terrain is generated with fractal mathematics, producing convincing landscapes on 8-bit hardware. Some 'pilots' are disguised Jaggi aliens who slam against the cockpit window — one of the earliest shock moments in a game. Developed by David Fox and Loren Carpenter, it was Lucasfilm Games' debut, published by Epyx.

Developer Story

Rescue on Fractalus was the first game released by Lucasfilm Games, developed by David Fox and Loren Carpenter.

Did You Know?

The game's title uses 'Fractalus' to reference the fractal mathematics used to generate its landscapes.
Rescue on Fractalus was one of the earliest games to feature a jump-scare — a Jaggi could pound on the cockpit window after rescuing a disguised enemy.