Caverns of Mars cover art

Caverns of Mars

An excellent arcade-style shooter, Caverns of Mars is a downward-scrolling game where players must pilot their craft through a series of five underground levels filled with alien ships, narrow passageways and…

31 December 1981

Caverns of Mars is an arcade developed by Atari, released 31 December 1981 on Atari 8-bit.

Verified Sources: IGDB

What Caverns of Mars is

Caverns of Mars is an arcade game developed by Atari and released in 1981. It was published by AtariAge. It is available on Atari 8-bit only.

The premise, in the publisher's words

An excellent arcade-style shooter, Caverns of Mars is a downward-scrolling game where players must pilot their craft through a series of five underground levels filled with alien ships, narrow passageways and a variety of obstacles, including blue diamonds, force field barriers and floating space mines. Fuel must be collected along the way, and at the bottom of the last level a Martian base must be destroyed. Horizontal sections provide variety, scrolling is smooth, and the fast paced, though methodical shooting action is intensely enjoyable, making this a truly addictive game.
Description from the publisher · source

How it plays

It is played from a side view perspective. Its themes are action and science fiction. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component.

What it launched against

Caverns of Mars launched on 31 December 1981, within three weeks of Ms. Pac-Man, Zaxxon, Gorf and Robotron: 2084.

Released around the same time: Ms. Pac-Man, Zaxxon, Gorf, Robotron: 2084.

Official trailer

Gameplay Video thumbnail

Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel.

Screenshots

All media

Dlc

Quick answers

Caverns of Mars — frequently asked questions

When did Caverns of Mars come out?
Caverns of Mars was released on 31 December 1981 for Atari 8-bit.

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