Atari is one of the most iconic names in video game history. Founded in 1972, Atari helped launch the video game industry with pioneering home consoles like the Atari 2600. While known today for classic arcade-style games like Asteroids and Centipede, Atari also produced some of the earliest and most influential real-time strategy titles.
Real-time strategy (RTS) games challenge players to balance resource management, economic development, technological research, and military command simultaneously under the pressure of continuous action. Reacting and adapting in real-time is key. These cerebral games test strategic thinking skills.
Though graphics and interfaces were primitive by today‘s standards, these 7 Atari games showcased innovative RTS gameplay that all modern strategy titles owe a debt to. Here are the absolute best Atari real-time strategy games of all time.
#1 Dungeon Master (1987)
Dungeon Master by FTL Games is considered the godfather of the real-time strategy genre. It was critically acclaimed upon its 1987 launch for the versatility of its party-based gameplay. Gamers can choose between fighters, wizards, priests and other classes, managing resources and health while navigating 3D environments.
While influenced by earlier dungeon crawlers, Dungeon Master‘s real-time elements added higher stakes. Monsters don‘t wait their turn – they can strike at any moment. Dynamic lighting effects and ambient sounds heighten the atmospheric tension. Mapping terrain with graph paper feels like true subterranean spelunking.
Reviewers praised the adrenaline rush of its white-knuckle encounters. Dungeon Master sold an astounding one million copies, making it the Atari ST‘s all-time best-seller. Its immersive fantasy world laid down many genre conventions still followed today across computer RPGs, MMOs and strategy titles.
#2 Another World (1991)
While often considered more of a cinematic platformer, Another World (also called Out of this World) contains strategy elements that place it on this list. Players control physicist Lester Knight Chaykin who accidentally teleports himself to a hostile alien planet. To survive and escape, players must solve puzzles and shoot enemies.
But Another World is not just run-and-gun action. With no heads-up display, inventory system or manuals, players must methodically learn how to interact with and manipulate the foreign environment. Strategic positioning, resource management, and split-second decision making determine life or death against overwhelming odds.
Critically revered for its lifelike animations and minimalist art style, Another World‘s clever use of cinematography also amplifies its palpable tension and sense of isolation. While punishingly difficult, solving its complex layered puzzles delivers an unmatched euphoric payoff. Its tactical approach to exploration created a formula many cinematic platformers still emulate.
#3 Carrier Command (1988)
Rainbird Software‘s 1988 release Carrier Command is one of the Atari ST‘s landmark strategy titles. Blending action and tactical strategy elements, players control an aircraft carrier against hostile island forces. Defending your carrier while managing air, sea and land units makes for thrillingly complex balancing acts.
Attack and defend missions force economic decisions about resource and unit allocation. Fuel conservation determines exploration range – stray too far and you might not make it home! Customizable weapons loadouts add more strategic considerations. Should you equip long-range missiles or rapid-fire guns?
With 30 islands to conquer, no two playthroughs are the same. Quick reflexes are required to manually operate weapons systems. Overall, Carrier Command delivers a uniquely immersive experience of commanding your own aircraft carrier fleet. Its innovative fusion of strategy, resource management and action gameplay make it a standout Atari title.
#4 IK+ (1987)
While on the surface a fighting game, IK+ (International Karate +) contains tactical single-player gameplay that qualifies it as an early Atari real-time strategy pioneer. Players guide karate master Ken Williams through several hostage rescue missions against escalating waves of opponent attackers.
With no health bar or hit points, fights play out tensely in real-time with realistic one-hit kills. Carefully timed blocks, strikes, jump kicks and special moves make up your "command inputs." But raw finessed reactions alone won‘t save the day. Waves get progressively harder – methodically plotting enemy attack patterns and optimizing responses is key to securing hostages.
IK+ struck gaming gold by rewarding not just chaotic brawling prowess but thoughtful mastery of its mechanics, environment and tools. That players can complete levels stealthily by avoiding fights altogether further highlights its impressive scope of strategic choice.
#5 Super Sprint (1986)
While on the surface a top-down arcade racer, Atari‘s 1986 hit Super Sprint actually plays more like a competitive real-time strategy title. Players choose between 8 tracks with diverse layouts, optimizing performance by purchasing tire, engine and chassis upgrades between races against the CPU. Time trials teach the optimal racing line — recklessly crashing only slows you down!
Nailing corners and drafting faster cars to slingshot past puts racers in a trance-like zen. But winning the race alone won‘t cut it. Gamers wanting to qualify for the prestigious World Champion Cup must carefully manage finances over the long term to continually upgrade their rig. With no saves, losing hard-earned money through careless driving forces you right back to square one!
Super Sprint‘s scrappy bootstrap progression system was rare for arcade racing games of the era mostly built for quick plays. Its unique metagame required hours of dedicated strategic driving for a shot at final glory. This innovative mix of calculated progression within a real-time vehicular setting qualifies it as an early influential Atari RTS.
#6 Prince of Persia (1989)
The original Prince of Persia was a blockbuster cinematic platformer in the ‘80s that also featured ahead-of-its-time real-time strategy elements. Players must guide the titular prince through sprawling palace dungeon environments to rescue an imprisoned princess before time runs out.
With no chance to save progress, players need considerable strategic planning to solve puzzles, defeat enemies and navigate treacherous terrain fast enough to reach the princess in real-time. Careful resource management comes into play with a limited supply of health potions. Enemies also react dynamically – stealthy evasion is sometimes the wisest tactical choice.
Prince of Persia pioneered lifelike character animations and environmental storytelling to craft an immersive tableaus. While later entries shifted focus more to combat, the first Prince of Persia shined brightest for its methodical puzzle-platforming that tested strategic thinking skills just as much as reflexes. Its huge commercial success spawned one of gaming‘s longest and most beloved franchises including a 2010 Hollywood film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
#7 Turrican II: The Final Fight (1991)
The Turrican series brought fast-paced run-and-gun platform shooting to European computer systems throughout the ‘90s. But 1991‘s Turrican II: The Final Fight also mixed in complex maze navigation, environmental puzzles and distinct worlds that demanded strategic mastery to survive.
Players control the ultra-powered hero Bren McGuire blasting through five alien worlds littered with traps. Each labyrinthine stage scrolls at high speeds demanding quick navigation and crowd control reflexes. But reckless rushing forward equals quick death. Analyzing terrain layouts to determine optimal paths, memorizing enemy patrol patterns, and saving powerful special weapons for key encounters rewards exploration with hidden resources.
Cold calculated assault ultimately triumphs over unchecked adrenaline. Turrican II‘s blend of white-knuckle action balanced with thoughtful stage mastery establishes it as a polished Atari real-time strategy title that still impresses today. Its bracing difficulty and myriad hidden secrets give its replay value incredible longevity.
Tips for Choosing the Best Atari Real-Time Strategy Games
The impressive Atari real-time strategy catalog showcases how imaginative 80s game designers overcame primitive technology limitations with wildly creative premises and rock-solid precise gameplay. When mining Atari‘s library, keep these genre tips in mind:
Prioritize strategic gameplay depth over graphics – The VCS 2600 and Atari ST computers featured bare-bones visuals and sounds. But the best titles made up for it with intricate gameplay that tested brains over reflexes. Seek out the most conceptually intriguing designs over flashiest looks.
Embrace earnest simplicity – Some of the console‘s most addictive games used straightforward designs that emphasized mastering a few game mechanics over cluttered controls. Early puzzle and strategy games shined by squeezing infinite replay value out of deceptively basic ingredients.
Study legendary developers – Programmers like Richard Garriot, Danielle Bunten Berry and Sid Meier cut their coding teeth on Atari systems before launching iconic careers. Tracking down their earliest work offers intriguing insights into later masterpieces.
Search out original cartridges and disks – Ports and re-issues often get subpar treatment. Atari‘s quirky legacy hardware added character to experiences not fully captured by emulators. Hunting down original releases yields accurately authentic magic.
Atari‘s pioneering real-time strategy catalog laid vital genre foundations still felt today. Revisiting these classic games offers a fascinating window into gaming‘s embryonic era where imaginations ran free. Their crispy pixelated 1980s aesthetics may feel dated, but Atari‘s best strategy gameplay remains timeless.
Conclusion
Early Atari real-time strategy titles masterfully overcame primitive technology through pioneering gameplay design. These 7 classics each helped popularize now-standard features like role-playing character classes, procedurally-generated terrain, physics engines, resource procurement systems and complex freeform scenario mapping.
Modern juggernaut strategy franchises like Civilization, Total War and StarCraft that boast cutting edge graphics and online multiplayer functionality all emerged from Atari‘s humble 8-bit building blocks. Atari‘s ingenious founders literally devised gameplay possibilities from scratch with minimal computing resources.
While console hardware advanced dramatically through subsequent generations, core tenants of strategic thinking changed little. Carefully plotting courses of action under pressure, managing risk vs reward trade-offs and thinking several moves ahead remain keys to victory. These timeless skills first tested over 30 years ago by Atari‘s innovative game designers still captivate today.
So while not as immediately flashy as modern franchises, revisiting Atari‘s real-time strategy milestones offers worth beyond mere nostalgia. Appreciating first-gen innovation retrospectively reveals an organic creative freedom ignored by today‘s iterative big-budget sequels and shared-world behemoths tethered together for maximum monetization.
In an industry increasingly driven more by trends than raw inspiration, Atari‘s OG games exude an authentic magic deserving preservation. These ragged 8-bit gems represent gaming at its most raw and unfiltered. Their comparatively simple designs cut straight to the core appeal that made falling in love with this hobby special in the first place. For a retrospective window into that creative lightning bottled at the start, no library showcases influential first principles better than Atari.
