Rescue on Fractalus!

Rescue on Fractalus!
European Commodore 64/128 cover
Developer(s)	Lucasfilm Games
Publisher(s)	Epyx Atari Corp. Activision
Platform(s)	Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Tandy Color Computer 3, ZX Spectrum
Release date(s)	March 1984
Mode(s)	Single-player

Rescue On Fractalus! is a March 1984computer game created by Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts Entertainment). It was originally released for the Atari 8-bit family and the Atari 5200 games console. It was also ported to other popular platforms of the day, such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum (by Dalali Software Ltd), Amstrad CPC, Tandy Color Computer 3 and Commodore 64. The game was one of the first two products from the fledgling Lucasfilm Computer Division Games Group led by Peter Langston. David Fox was the project leader and designer. Music was mainly composed by Charlie Kellner.

The game uses fractal technology to create the craggy mountains of an alien planet, where the visilibility was drastically reduced by the dense atmosphere. The player controls a fictional "Valkyrie" space fighter (converted for search and rescue duty) from a first-person view, attempting to land and pick up downed Ethercorps pilots. Some of these mountains hold anti-aircraft guns, which have to be avoided or destroyed. Due to the varied terrain, the direction finder has to be used to locate the pilots, whose visual beacons are often masked by mountain ridges.

At higher levels, the enemy Jaggis begin flying kamikaze saucers. The mission area also moves into day/night boundaries. Night missions are particularly difficult, requiring diligent use of the altimeter to avoid crashing.