Fatal Run

The year is 2089. A collision with a comet has left the earth reeling from radiation poisoning. There's little hope for humanity's survival. It's up to you to help the few remaining people.

You must leave the protective fortress Albagon and deliver the newly developed radiation vaccine to the survivors. Your journey will not be an easy one, Nefarious henchmen are waiting to knock you off and steal the vaccine to ensure that they will survive to rule the planet. Every driver on the road is out to get you. Your only hope is to get them first.

You must find the rocket poised to launch a satellite that can nullify the effects of this cosmic accident that turned the world upside down. If you're sharp enough to learn the secret code words and tough enough to live to use them, you can launch the rocket and save the world!

Good luck! Humanity is in your hands.

Getting Started

1. With Your system switched off, insert the Fatal Run cartridge into your Atari 2600 (or 7800) as explained in your owner's manual.

2. Plug a controller into the left port, and switch on your television.

3. Push the console's Power switch to the ON position. The Fatal Run title and option selection screen appears.

Note: If you do not begin the game, the system shows a short demonstration of game action.

4. You may either start a new game at the beginning or resume play at a specific location, as follows:

New Game: Move the controller forward or backward to highlight NEW. Press the fire button. The instruction screen appears, showing a city with information running across the bottom of the screen. Press the fire button again to begin play.

Resume Game: TO begin the game at a specific level, move the controller to highlight RESUME. Press the fire button. The Code Selection screen appears. TO identify the level code (shown after every fourth run during the game) position the square Character Selector next to the number or letter

you want to choose (up to seven characters), then press the fire button. Select the asterisk (*) character and press the fire button to start the game.

5. When you complete the game, press Reset to return to the title and options selection screen.

6. During play, press Reset if you wish to restart the game.

Playing the Game

The object of the game is to drive through all 32 levels and release the life-saving satellite. Along the way you must distribute the radiation vaccine throughout the major cities, while collecting the pieces of the launch code. If you complete the code and all levels, the satellite launches and you win the game.

Use the controller to maneuver your vehicle. Move the directional control forward to accelerate and back to brake. Move the directional control left or right to move the car in that direction. When the directional control is in the center position, the car will coast.

Your car is also equipped with a machine gun. Press the fire button to fire at the enemy.

The Status Display at the bottom of the screen gives the information you need to plan your strategy and complete your run. The Status Display shows your current score and the speed at which your car is traveling. In addition, you can see the status of your car's engine, tires, and armor; the number of shots you have left; and the amount of fuel remaining in your car.

Also, you receive a 10-point reward for each road segment you pass over. There are 180 segments in each level, so completing a level results in 1800 bonus points. The cities, while collecting the pieces of the launch code. If you complete the code and all levels, the satellite launches and you win the game.

Use the controller to maneuver your vehicle. Move the directional control forward to accelerate and back to brake. Move the directional control left or right to move the car in that direction. When the directional control is in the center position, the car will coast.

Your car is also equipped with a machine gun. Press the fire button to fire at the enemy.

The Status Display at the bottom of the screen gives the information you need to plan your strategy and complete your run. The Status Display shows your current score and the speed at which Your car is traveling. In addition, you can see the status of your car's engine, tires, and armor; the number of shots you have left, and the amount of fuel remaining in your car.

Also, you receive a 10-point reward for each road segment you pass over. There are 180 segments in each level, so completing a level results in 1800 bonus points. The Status Display shows the percentage of points which you have not yet received.

As you move from city to city, you will encounter various obstacles. The black patches on the screen are oil slicks, which can damage your tires. Yellow and white striped roadblocks should be avoided at all costs; if you hit one of these, it can damage your car severely. Roadside obstacles include houses, trees, and other hazards. Hitting obstacles will damage your car and slow you down.

You must also be on the lookout for henchmen. They will try to run you off the road, often banding together to stop your progress. Press the fire button to destroy the enemy vehicles with machinegun fire.

If you run out of ammo, you can destroy the car in front of you with a power surge. To power surge, hold down the fire button and move the directional control forward. If you fail to power surge the car in front, you may crash, damaging your vehicle.

If an enemy car comes up behind you, you can destroy it by pulling back quickly on the directional control to brake. To survive a side attack, you must smash into the vehicle and destroy it. If the enemy car gets you first, you will receive damage.

You can also receive 20 bonus points for permanently passing an enemy car. To do this, you must stay ahead of him until he disappears off the bottom of the radar. If he comes up from behind and passes you again, you receive no bonus points.

Look for yellow diamonds alongside the road. You will see the diamonds after you destroy enemy vehicles. Grab one of these to restore your car's engine and armor. In addition, you can replace your fuel and ammunition by running over dots along the way. Green dots replace bullets and blue dots replace fuel. If you still have fuel remaining when you run over a blue dot, you will receive 20 bonus points. If you have run out of fuel, you receive no bonus points.

Once you reach a city, the screen will display the city's status. If you reach the city in time to save any of its inhabitants, the survivors appear on the screen. You receive bonus points for each person you save. You can use your bonus points to upgrade the condition of your vehicle or purchase fuel.

If you arrive too late to save the city, fewer survivors appear and you receive fewer bonus points.

After you receive your bonus points, press the fire button.

A message from headquarters appears on your screen. Read the message, then press the fire button. The Vehicle Upgrade screen appears. To upgrade your vehicle or purchase fuel, move the controller up or down until your selection highlights. Then move your controller right to purchase the highlighted item. After purchasing upgrades, highlight the word Go and press the fire button.

If you arrive safely at the rocket base, the rocket will launch the world-saving satellite and you will win the game.

Strategy

Learn which store items you need to purchase at the cities. If you are really good at acquiring the off-road yellow diamonds, you may only need to purchase better tires and fuel at most stops.

Watch out for cars behind you! Quick braking will destroy them without damage to your car.

Learn to power surge. Head-on collisions hurt more than just your car's expensive paint job.

Go off the right side of the road immediately after destroying an enemy vehicle and you might get a valuable diamond.

Scoring

The table below shows the number of points awarded for various actions.

After you have finished each level, you will have accumulated 1800 points for the road segments completed within that level.

Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy Of printed material after the date Of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or omissions. Reproduction of this document or of any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corporation.

Atari, the Atari logo, Fatal Run, 2600% and 7800TM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Copyright 1990, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302. All rights reserved.

Printed in Hong Kong.

C300016-162 Rev. A

W.W.8.1990

Archived by Alexander Bilstein and Albert Yarusso for the Atari 2600 Nexus