Jeff Minter reunites with Atari to remake lost arcade game Akka Arrh

Jeff Minter, the reclusive creator of bizarre, trippy arcade video games such as Tempest 2000, Space Giraffe Polybius, has announced his next project: a “hypnotic new wave shooter” (surprise!) called Akka ArrhAtari VCS, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5 will all be coming to Windows PCs in the early 2023.

Akka ArrhMinter is reunited to Atari, his company. Tempest 2000His 1994 blistering reimaginings of the vector-graphic arcade game 1981 by. Tempest. Minter, Atari and others fell out later. The company prevented the publication of Atari’s spiritual sequel. TxKOn some platforms. It seems that Wade Rosen, the current Atari boss has reconnected with the legend coder.

Akka Arrh, described by the press release as “a chaotic explosion of synthwave madness” and “a frenzied kaleidoscope of neon insanity,” is an adaptation of an incredibly rare 1982 Atari arcade cabinet — a prototype that was tested but never fully released after players found it too difficult. Three originals were made. Akka ArrhAlthough cabinets exist, it is not known if they are still available. Atari 50: A Celebration of the Anniversary.

Minter lives in rural Wales in an isolated area and makes games every day. He has made these classic games since his teens in the 1980s. It’s not his first time adapting a legendary lost arcade game, either — although the inspiration for PolybiusHis 2017 VR-shooter, he was actually a completely fictional urban legend.