Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate
Audacity Games
Atari 2600
Action/Adventure, 1 player
2025
Created by David Crane
Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate for the Atari 2600 was
developed and programmed by David Crane, best known as the creator of Pitfall!
and co-founder of Activision. It is the newest release from Audacity Games, a
company formed by Crane along with Garry Kitchen and Dan Kitchen, dedicated to
producing fully packaged new titles—“probrews” as some have called them—for
vintage Atari hardware. Like earlier Audacity releases, the game includes a
professionally printed box and manual, a scannable QR code for uploading scores
to an online leaderboard, and a physical cartridge that works on both original
Atari consoles and modern clone systems.
I picked up my Collector's Edition review copy (thanks,
Garry!) this past weekend at the Houston Arcade Expo, where I once again caught
up with my friends from Audacity Games. I’ve known the group for years, having
spent time with them at various gaming conventions and events at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas where their passion for preserving and
extending the legacy of classic gaming always shines through.
In the game, players assume the role of a deep-sea diver
on a mission to rescue the Amphitrite mini-sub, which has become trapped on the
ocean floor 100 fathoms below the surface. The adventure unfolds across five
sequential phases, each with distinct objectives and hazards. It begins with a
controlled descent, during which the player must manage air supply while
avoiding or shooting dangerous sea creatures.
Upon reaching the bottom, the diver explores the sea floor in search of Poseidon’s Gate, the grotto where the stranded mini-sub is located. Movement here involves short, floaty hops reminiscent of lunar gravity, requiring careful timing. The third phase introduces the Shark Grotto, where the diver must fend off waves of sharks with a harpoon to free the mini-sub. After the rescue, the player retraces their path toward the ship’s anchorage, conserving air and avoiding familiar threats, before reaching the final phase—climbing the ship’s anchor chain to the surface. Success depends on balancing ascent speed with limited oxygen, all while evading additional underwater dangers. Throughout the journey, air management remains central to gameplay, with emergency air tanks available to replenish supply. Running out of air before reaching safety results in failure.
The game unfolds at a slow and methodical pace, which is
one thing that makes it so absorbing. The deliberate movement heightens the
tension, forcing you to think carefully about each action—this is not an easy
game. The graphics are gorgeous, among the best ever seen on the Atari 2600.
The player character is large, detailed, and smoothly animated, while the
bubble effects and recognizable sea creatures lend the underwater world a
surprising sense of depth (so to speak) and personality. It’s a technically
impressive showcase for the 2600, reflecting Crane’s mastery of the hardware
even decades after his original breakthroughs. While it’s not my favorite
Audacity release (that honor belongs to Casey’s Gold), it is a quality
title.
The undersea world is filled with both hostile and helpful creatures, as detailed in the game’s colorful manual. Among the threats are Red Crabs that steal small sips of air when touched, Electric Eels that attack aggressively on sight, and three species of Jellyfish—blue ones fast and deadly, purple ones sluggish, and orange ones drifting cooperatively to block movement. Even brief contact with a jellyfish drains air and stuns the diver. Rock Crabs are instantly fatal, easily recognized by their bright orange shells and black-tipped claws, while Sharks, the apex predators of the sea, can drain about a third of the diver’s air with a single bite. Yet not every creature is dangerous. Goldfish are harmless and worth 150 points each, with all 150 needing to be touched or harpooned for a perfect score. Sunfish, which are armor-plated and not to be shot, can buoy the diver up or push him down. The Gold Crab provides small sips of air when touched and may also hold treasure, though killing it to claim its riches forfeits its life-giving benefit. The elusive Seahorse is rare but required for a perfect game.
Treasure plays a major role in scoring. Gold Crabs scavenge valuables dropped by careless tourists, and the diver must choose between harvesting treasure or preserving a source of oxygen. The treasures—rings, watches, necklaces, money bags, and gold coins—are worth from 1,000 to 5,000 points, with an extra life available for certain totals. No treasures appear in Practice Mode. Points accumulate across all five phases, and a Status Screen accessible via the Select button displays elapsed time, lives remaining, air tanks collected, and total score. Achieving a perfect score requires completing all phases, collecting every treasure, touching all 150 Goldfish and three Seahorses, and finishing without missing any items.
Players who complete the rescue of the Amphitrite
mini-sub while achieving at least 50,000 points gain entry into the “Deep Sea
Daredevil Club.” By uploading their qualifying score to Audacity Games’ online
leaderboard via smartphone, players become eligible to receive an embroidered
membership patch (available for a small shipping and handling fee). Those who
achieve a perfect score earn the right to receive an additional “Perfect Game”
patch, commemorating their accomplishment.
Rescue from Poseidon’s Gate continues Crane’s long
and influential career in game design, which began in the late 1970s with Atari
and Activision. Like other Audacity Games projects, it fuses new gameplay ideas
with the technical and aesthetic limitations of the original 2600 hardware. The
manual, filled with diagrams, cute illustrations, and plenty of information, evokes
the charm of early Activision instruction booklets while adding modern
enhancements such as QR-enabled score tracking. The result is a carefully created
blend of classic Atari/Activision style and modern production values—a deep
dive into nostalgia that shows how the retro gaming spirit still thrives today
through Audacity Games’ commitment to keeping that legacy alive.