Moon Patrol

Moon Patrol is a side-scrolling action game originally created by the Japanese company Irem, released for the Atari 5200 by Atari under license. The player drives a lunar patrol vehicle that moves automatically forward across bumpy, crater-filled terrain full of holes and mines, which it must jump over at the right moment, while simultaneously shooting forward at ground obstacles and upward at attacking hovercraft and other flying enemies. The combination of platform-style jumping over terrain obstacles with simultaneous two-directional shooting makes the game one of the first prominent examples of a genre that, many years later, inspired an entire wave of side-scrolling action games and so-called auto-runners.

On the Atari 5200, the smoothness of terrain scrolling and the recognizability of individual obstacles are at a solid level given the era's 8-bit hardware capabilities, and analog-stick control for jumping works reliably thanks to a simple, clear upward input at the right moment. Sound effects for shots, mine explosions, and impacts are terse but functional, and the music is minimalist, in line with contemporary conventions for converting arcade games to home hardware. At the time of release, Moon Patrol was seen as a fresh combination of two then-popular gameplay principles and was among the more popular and frequently played titles in the 5200's library.

From the perspective of genre history, Moon Patrol is an important pioneer of so-called auto-runner side-scrolling action games, and its influence on the combination of automatic forward movement, jumping, and shooting can be seen in many later titles across platforms, from home computers to later consoles. On the Atari 5200, it offers fast, straightforward fun that still works surprisingly well today for short sessions between other, more demanding titles from the console's library.

Why play it: For fast, straightforward action that still holds up today as a fresh pioneer of the jump-and-shoot auto-runner genre, ideal for shorter sessions.