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Duck Attack!

Presenting Duck Attack!, a homebrew video game for the Atari 2600 and compatible emulators.

The object of the game is to navigate a friendly robot past giant, mutant, fire-breathing ducks, and collect colorful radioactive duck eggs to complete each level.

From here you can:

🦆 Download a free demo ROM.

🦆 Buy the cartridge from the AtariAge store.

🦆 Order the full-featured ROM pack.

Duck Attack! is my first creation for the classic Atari 2600 platform, also known as the Atari VCS (Video Computer System.) It was written in 2009 and released at the 2010 Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas as an authentic, vintage-style Atari cartridge.

I created Duck Attack! partly because of the technical challenge, but mostly due to my love of the Atari and the many game cartridges that brought me joy as a little kid. Duck Attack! is in part an homage to those games I loved, in particular Warren Robinett’s Adventure.

2023 update: Duck Attack! is fully compatible with the new Atari 2600+.

You can buy authentic Duck Attack! cartridges for your Atari 2600 or 7800 from the AtariAge store. The cartridge features beautiful artwork by Nathan Strum, and ships with a detailed, full-color user’s manual. AtariAge is the exclusive source for authentic Duck Attack! cartridges.

You can watch gameplay videos, read the manual, browse reviews, see answers to frequently asked questions, and more using the links below.

Duck Attack! also has a Facebook page.

For copyright information, click here.

Get the cartridge

You can now buy authentic Duck Attack! cartridges for your Atari 2600 or 7800 from the AtariAge store. The cartridge features beautiful artwork by Nathan Strum, and ships with a detailed, full-color user’s manual.

Free demo version

I’m a big fan of “try it before you buy it” games, so I’ve made a special demo version of Duck Attack! free to download.

Deluxe ROM Pack

Duck Attack! is available as part of a deluxe ROM pack for $20. The ROM pack contains multiple editions of the game, playable on any Atari emulator (such as Stella.) The bonus features included serve as a great complement to a physical cartridge.

New (to me) Duck Attack play-throughs

I recently came across some cool Duck Attack playthrough videos. Here’s one from the Down the Rabbit Hole YouTube channel: I’ve added this one and some other new finds to the Duck Attack videos page.

Unboxing the Atari 2600+

It was Christmas morning, 1980, and there were just two presents left under the tree. I had enjoyed the presents I’d opened so far, but there was one thing that I had wanted more than anything: an Atari.

Videos

Here is the first video that accompanied the 2010 release of the game. It shows a little of the gameplay. Uploaded by AtariAge. ZeroPage Homebrew did a Twitch Livestream in April of 2020 featuring a playthrough of a few levels. The segment on Duck Attack begins at 7:20. Down the Rabbit Hole posted a pretty…

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Duck Attack? How do I play? Where can I get a cartridge? Is there a ROM I can download? How many rooms are there? How many levels are there? […]

Online Manual

An online version of the users’ manual that’s shipped with each copy of the Duck Attack! cartridge. Learn how to play, and pick up tips and tricks.

Classic Gaming Expo 2010

Below are some pictures from the AtariAge’s display at the 2010 Classic Gaming Expo held in Las Vegas. Special thanks to Darrell Spice Jr. (creator of Medieval Mayhem) for the use of these photographs.

Technical specs

Duck Attack! is designed to be played on Atari 2600 and 7800 game consoles and compatible devices. The cartridge contains 32k of code and graphics; the game uses the 2600’s onboard RAM of 128 bytes for variable game data and program call stack information. Duck Attack! uses an unconventional 3-line kernel to produce its exceptionally large…