Atari, under new management, is awesome at the moment, isn’t it? In addition to releasing some really worthwhile Recharged reimaginings of some of its biggest hits, it’s also blessed us with arguably the greatest retro compilation ever made in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. And now it’s enlisted legendary Tempest designer Jeff Minter to effectively remake its long-lost 1982 prototype Akka Arrh.

For those of you who don’t know, this game was created by Atari in the early eighties but wasn’t mass produced after it performed poorly in tests. It’s believed only a handful of cabinets still exist.

The press release teases: “Dripping in Minter's style, sense of humour, and unique genius, Akka Arrh embodies the chaotic fun of the 80s arcade experience and brings it to modern audiences with a vengeance. Whether you consider Akka Arrh a spiritual successor to Minter's Tempest, or a vivid creation all its own, one thing is for certain: you'll feed your head to a new kind of web.”

The gameplay is exactly what you’d expect from Minter: a complete sensory overload complete with sharp angles, vibrant pulsating colours, and an overwhelming number of particle effects. Akka Arrh will release on PS5 and PS4 in “early 2023”, and we’re already eagerly anticipating achieving zen-like status as we blast our way to a high score.

[source youtube.com]