Atari 2600 classic-that-wasn’t Save Mary has been rescued from cancellation 40 years later.
Long ago, Atari was a gaming giant – and then they weren’t. A gaming industry crash in 1983 (linked to the early 80s recession) resulted in many games being abandoned.
You’ve probably heard of the E.T. game, a tie-in flop that not only prompted the crash, but resulted in many copies being buried in a Texan landfill. This is a story that is so well-known at this stage that it formned the basis of a 2014 documentary, Atari: Game Over, which you can view on YouTube.
Well, that’s the context sorted – what about Save Mary?
A game pulled from release due to the cash, this game has been around in for years as a ROM, but now Atari is planning to give the game a physical release. It’s intended for the Atari 2600 (with compatibility for the Atari 2600 Junior and Atari 7800), but this news is nicely timed to coincide with the release of the Atari 2600+.
And incredibly, its availability is as scarce again as it was a few months ago, since Save Mary has now sold out on the Atari store!
Another victim of the 1983 game crash, Save Mary never got an official Atari cartridge release until now! This fantastic work from Tod Frye will keep you on your toes as you build a platform that Mary can use to escape the flooding canyon.
Use the crane to carefully lower the different blocks and piece together a platform that Mary can safely stand on — but be careful! If you swing or drop a block carelessly, you may end up crushing poor Mary.
Fancy playing this Atari 2600 classic? Well, ROMs of this game have been in circulation for years, but what if you prefer the physical edition, complete with manual? While the game is listed as sold out, there is a chance that enough attention will convince Atari to issue a second run.
Consequently, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Save Mary cartridge listing page.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
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