1982 · Atari · Arcade · Game of skill

Quantum

Enter a subatomic world. Using the trackball, capture particles by circling them with your probes tail.

Released: 1982
Platforms: Arcade macOS
Genres: Arcade Game of skill
Developers: Atari
Publishers: —
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

Quantum is a color vector arcade video game developed at General Computer Corporation for Atari, Inc. and released in November 1982. It was designed by Betty Ryan, the first female developer at GCC. The premise of the game is related loosely to quantum physics; the player directs a probe with a trackball to encircle atomic "particles" for points, without touching various other particles. Once the particles are surrounded by the probe's tail they are destroyed.

Keywords

high score
vector graphics
trackball

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In each stage, the player moves a probe with the trackball, leaving a tail behind. As the attract-mode demo explains, the player must circle around and cross the tail to complete a loop. Any particles caught in a closed loop are destroyed. A level is completed by destroying all the nuclei (solid circular particles).

The player also must avoid contact with any of the particles (except electrons, they are safe) as well as active (red) particle bonds. Otherwise, the scene collapses and destroys the probe. Besides the nuclei, other deadly particles may appear from time to time.

Legacy

A screenshot of a clone called Tachyon was previewed in Atari 8-bit magazine ANALOG Computing, but the game was never completed.

A remake, Quantum Recharged, was released in August 2023 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is part of Atari SA's Recharged remake series.