Mines of Minos

Short description: 1982 video game

Mines of Minos

Developer(s)| CommaVid
Publisher(s)| CommaVid
Programmer(s)| Irwin Gaines[1]
Platform(s)| Atari 2600
Release| October 1982
Genre(s)| Maze
Mode(s)| Single player, two-player simultaneous

Mines of Minos is an Atari 2600 maze video game developed and published by CommaVid in 1982. The player controls a mining robot in a maze, fighting off alien attackers.[2] A two-player mode, in which the second player can control an alien, is also available.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Release
* 3 Reception
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Gameplay

The gameplay of Mines of Minos consists of controlling a mining robot trapped in a maze surrounded by hostile aliens.[3] The player's goal is to locate and destroy the alien's command center. The player must navigate the maze and avoid the aliens; colliding with an alien causes the player to lose a life.[4] Unlike a typical video game (where the player starts with multiple lives), the player starts with zero additional lives and can only earn more by collecting robot pieces scattered throughout the maze; collecting enough pieces to form a new "robot body" awards the player with an additional life.[5] The player can drop bombs in locations, requiring strategy to choose the best spot that an alien might walk into. Gaming website The Retorist called this a "change [from] the nature of the standard offense-oriented Atari game". As an additional element of difficulty, the maze gradually fills with water, forcing the player to move on to the next board.[6]

The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where the second player can control an alien.[7]

## Release

CommaVid released Mines of Minos in October 1982. The game was only released for the Atari 2600.[8]

## Reception

The gameplay was well received. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram called Mines of Minos "an extremely intense game: constant pressure, no rest".[9] They liked the number of mazes it offered to explore, but criticized as being a Pac-Man clone. In a 1983 review, Electronic Fun with Computers & Games wrote that the game's aliens "are stunningly scary due to their excellent resolution".[10]

In a retrospective review, the Video Game Critic praised the game's depth and challenge.[4] The Retroist wrote that Mines of Minos joined the slew of games "being cranked out immediately before the video game crash of 1983".[6]

## References

1. ↑ "Mines of Minos". https://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/minesofminos/minesofminos.htm.
2. ↑ Davidson, Drew (2009). Well Played 1.0 Video Games, Value and Meaning. ETC Press. ISBN 9780557069750. https://books.google.com/books?id=SUnRAQAAQBAJ&dq="mines+of+minos"&pg=PA355. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
3. ↑ Greenberg, Perry (August 1983). "HOT SUMMER FUN Home Carts Provide Some Rays of Hope". Video Games (Pumpkin Press) (11): 64. https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_11_1983-08_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n63/mode/1up?view=theater. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Mines of Minos". 27 May 2015. https://videogamecritic.com/2600mm.htm?e=11145#rev4473.
5. ↑ Weiss, Brett (20 December 2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786487554. https://books.google.com/books?id=BzxTtml8Jq4C&dq="mines+of+minos"&pg=PA81. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Atari 2600 Mines of Minos Review". 20 December 2009. https://www.retroist.com/p/mines-of-minos.
7. ↑ "Mines of Minos". https://atarionline.org/atari-2600/mines-of-minos.
8. ↑ "Mines of Minos". https://www.mobygames.com/game/24071/mines-of-minos/.
9. ↑ Hudson, Lou (19 February 1983). "Video Play". Fort Worth Star-Telegram: p. 62. https://www.newspapers.com/article/114026804/.
10. ↑ Steere, Noel (July 1983). "Mines of Minos". Electronic Fun with Computers & Games 1 (9): 53. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Fun_with_Computer_Games_Vol_01_No_09_1983-07_Fun_Games_Publishing_US/page/n55/mode/2up?view=theater. Retrieved 15 May 2023.

## External links

* "Mines of Minos for the Atari 2600". 6 June 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLUJJzhCeCc.

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