Platform: Arcade
Region: NTSC-U
Country: United States of America
Developer(s): Williams Electronics, Inc.
Publishers(s): Williams Electronic Games, Inc.
ReleaseDate: 1982-07-16
Players: 2
Co-op: Yes
Joust
Joust is a 1982 arcade action video game developed and released by Williams Electronics in the USA on July 16, 1982. The game may be played by up to two players simultaneously. Controls for each player consist of a two-position joystick and a button. The screen contains several platforms, with the left and right edges wrapping around to each other. Each press of the button flaps the mount's wings; based on the rate at which it is pressed, the knight can ascend or descend at a desired rate or hover in midair. The joystick can be used to steer left and right in midair, or run in a chosen direction if the knight is standing on a platform. Each wave consists of several enemy knights, in three types and armed with lances. When a player's knight and an enemy collide, the one whose lance is at a higher vertical level unseats the other; if the lances are at the same height, the two knights rebound from the collision. Each defeated enemy turns into an egg, which the player can pick up for bonus points. After a short period of time, the egg will hatch into a knight of the next higher difficulty level than the defeated one. If this knight acquires a new mount before the player can pick it up, it returns to the game and must be defeated again. The wave ends when all enemy knights have been defeated and their eggs picked up or destroyed. Later waves introduce further complications and difficulties, such as: A chance to earn a bonus for completing a wave without losing any lives Destruction of portions of the bottommost platform to expose pools of lava. Any knight or egg that falls in is immediately destroyed. The emergence of the Lava Troll, a disembodied hand that can reach up from the lava and try to drag down knights that approach too closely. The player can escape its grip with repeated, rapid flapping. Disappearance of some of the midair platforms. Waves that begin with eggs scattered all over the screen instead of enemies. The appearance of a pterodactyl, which flies randomly around the screen and tries to unseat the players' knights. A precisely timed and aimed lance strike is required to defeat it for bonus points. In a two-player game, the players may cooperatively complete the waves or attack each other as desired. One life is lost whenever a player's knight is unseated, or falls or is dragged into the lava. A player's game ends when all lives are lost.
Trailer: YouTube
ESRB Rating: E - Everyone
Genre(s): Action
