Astro Chase
| Astro Chase | |
|---|---|
| Atari 5200 box cover | |
| Developer(s) | First Star Software | 
| Publisher(s) | First Star Software Parker Brothers Exidy (arcade) | 
| Designer(s) | Fernando Hererra | 
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, Arcade, Atari 5200, Commodore 64 | 
| Release | 1982: Atari 8-bit 1983: Atari 5200 1984: C64, arcade | 
| Genre(s) | Multidirectional shooter | 
| Mode(s) | Single-player | 
| Arcade system | Max-A-Flex | 
Astro Chase is a multidirectional shooter written by Fernando Herrera for Atari 8-bit computers. It was published by First Star Software in 1982 as the company's first game. Parker Brothers licensed it, releasing cartridge versions for the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari 5200 console in 1983 and a Commodore 64 version in 1984. Exidy licensed it for arcade use with its Max-A-Flex cabinet.
Gameplay takes place on a 2D scrolling map of space around Earth, which the player has to defend from an alien force. The primary target is a number of Mega-Mines, which approach the Earth and must be destroyed. Contemporaneous reviewers were impressed by the graphics, but retrospective evaluations have called the game simplistic.