Atari has announced that the hypnotic new wave shooter Akka Arrh will release on Nintendo Switch in the coming months.
Legendary game designer Jeff Minter is behind this “chaotic explosion of synthwave madness,” which is based on an arcade prototype that was released way back in 1982 to a small test market.
Scrapped after players found the game too difficult, only three Akka Arrh cabinets are known to still exist. Now, you have the chance to experience one of the rarest games of the arcade era, which “completely encapsulates” the creator’s “sense of humour, his love of psychedelic colour and light, and his ability to create pure arcade bliss.”
The publisher has outlined the game’s key features as below:
- A Whirlwind of Electrifying Color: From the mind of Jeff Minter, players will experience a cascade of words, color, shapes and sound flows as they mount the Akka Arrh and fend off attackers. An explosion of dazzling neon graphics, Akka Arrh is a visually stunning, action-packed arcade shooter.
- Ready, Aim, Fire!: Akka Arrh shares the name with the game’s titular star cannon, in which players control from a fixed turret called the Sentinel. Featuring fast-paced wave-shooter action, players will prevent enemies from penetrating the Sentinel’s perimeter, zooming into close range combat and beat them back if they penetrate their defenses.
- Mystifying Modes to Master: With two modes of play, pilots can start from the beginning and battle their way through 50 unique levels, or pick up where they left off to power through to the end.
- Accessibility is Key: Though Llamasoft is known for mind-blowing and vivid visual effects, not everyone is able to enjoy them. Luckily, in the remake, players are able to toggle the visual effects to a more suitable level.
Akka Arrh will release digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide in early 2023.
