Before there was Nintendo, there was Atari.
Once the dominant player in the gaming industry, its story is one of a dramatic rise and fall. For years, Atari had done little more than sell licensed T-shirts and low-quality plug-and-play consoles. But since coming under new management in 2021, Atari looks to have taken a long-awaited strategic course correction, an effort evidenced by its Recharged series of arcade-style retro reboots.
Apart from announcing fresh acquisitions left and right, new software has been at the forefront of youthful chief executive Wade Rosen’s vision for the company. While the critically acclaimed Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration showcased classics and hidden gems in the form of a playable documentary, the Recharged series has set out to modernise and overhaul them.
Rosen, in a recent interview with MinnMaxx, said Atari needed to offer gamers something more than decades-old versions of its iconic titles. Hence, the Recharged games were born. For retro fans and arcade high-score chasers, this writer would argue the ten entries now on Switch, apart from being generally underrated, are essential budget pick-ups and the best way to get (re)acquainted with Atari.
Some titles in the series introduce new roguelite elements while others opt for more faithful reimaginings, though all add optional power-ups and co-op modes that enliven the gameplay. What’s striking is how the Recharged series proves that core game designs from the dawn of the medium, all originally coded with mind-boggling memory constraints, can still shine decades on.
Likewise, when life is already too complex, I find myself drawn to games that don’t require much mental bandwidth. “Live, die, retry” is my credo, and it’s what the Recharged games do best. With that said, here is a run-down of all ten Recharged games in order of their release to help prospective players decide where to start. Below that, you'll find the author’s pick of which title should be Recharged next...
Every Atari Recharged Game On Switch (Release Date Order)
1. Centipede’s still got legs
Centipede: Recharged offers a slick, fluid take on the seminal 1981 arcade classic that looks and feels exactly like you’d want it to. The gameplay of the original is fully intact and built upon with new power-ups, neon vector visuals, and challenges that spice up the age-old fixed shooter formula. As with the other titles, there are achievements, leaderboards, and a bumpin’ soundtrack.
2. Splat insects, get money
You’re a spider on pest patrol in this sublime reinvention of a pioneering twin-stick shooter. Black Widow: Recharged boasts buttery smooth controls and strategic elements in which the player manoeuvres to collect dollar signs from fallen enemy bugs and blast a partial screen-clearing web at just the right moment. Simply put, it is one of the very best Recharged offerings. Exhilarating.
3. Darn tootin' rock shootin’
Asteroids: Recharged is the best version of this game, period. Infinitely replayable by design, this iteration offers the coolest visuals, the catchiest theme music and an array of power-ups that make blasting space rocks and UFOs feel revelatory. The standout here are vector graphics and firework-like effects that dazzle and elevate the gameplay, which doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel.
4. Now the bricks shoot you
The biggest twist of Breakout: Recharged is that it turns the iconic brick-breaking game into a shooter of sorts, introducing the likes of homing missiles, explosives, and, yes, bricks that fire at you. Like any game based on tech from the late '70s, its elegance is in its simplicity. The controls feel great using Switch Joy-Con and the challenge mode in this version in particular is a standout.
5. Your mission is precision ignition
Gravitar: Recharged breaks new ground in the series with a pastel-based art style and emphasis on exploration and survival. Based on the notoriously difficult cult arcade title, players must carefully thrust their ship’s engines à la Lunar Lander and navigate environments with varying levels of gravity. This one demands a level of meticulousness that makes it the most challenging entry of the lot.
6. Not your daddy’s Yars
Yars: Recharge takes the core gameplay of the iconic 1982 console original – shooting or nibbling away at enemy barriers while avoiding incoming fire and powering up your cannon to take down the big bad – and reimagines it as a multi-stage, twin-stick shooter. If you play only one Recharged game, this may be the one to grab.
7. This is THE END, my only friend
Like its infamous arcade processor, Missile Command: Recharged is a game about nuclear apocalypse and the end of the world. It retains the tried-and-true core gameplay hook of taking out incoming missiles and enemy planes, avoiding a massive gameplay shake-up. Being fairly difficult, the inclusion of upgradable defensive attributes adds a welcomed element of progression to the title.
8. Think Downwell, but on Mars
Caverns of Mars: Recharged is another contender for best entry in the series. A vertically scrolling shooter based on a title released for Atari 8-bit computers, this high-speed overhaul is absolutely riveting on Switch. It introduces roguelike elements that make each run unique and boasts a lit techno soundtrack that keeps players in the zone as they blast, navigate, and descend. Thrilling.
9. Become a literal Loop Hero
Quantum: Recharged is based on a 1982 arcade game in which players used a trackball to encircle enemies to create deadzones that pull and swallow them in, eschewing shooting mechanics. The deepest cut of the series thus far, this overhaul brings visual pizzazz and tough-as-nails precision gameplay, along with a Zen mode that makes collisions survivable allowing for extended play.
10. Be murdered by a maniacal ball
Berzerk: Recharged is the series’ latest and most divisive entry owing to its almost mobile game-like art style. Based on the seminal 1980 maze shooter, you navigate procedural environments blasting robots and being verbally taunted by the titular spherical villain Evil Otto. The Binding of Isaac-like room-to-room gameplay is highly polished and perfect for 'just one more run' junkies.
Rooting for Atari, warts and all
The Recharged titles have their imperfections, to be sure. The first four entries have a wonky, almost broken global leaderboard system. Developers SneakyBox and AdamVision Studios found their technical footing and resolved this issue in further entries, but the leaderboards in the earlier games should rightfully be overhauled given that high scoring is such a major gameplay incentive.
Some of the titles have minor performance issues when things get too busy onscreen. Mileage will vary with these games depending on the player, their fondness for arcade action, and their personal depth of nostalgia. But the good certainly far outweighs the bad with finessed controls, modern visuals, and consistently excellent soundtrack work across all entries by Megan McDuffee.
Like the Atari 50 collection, Recharged creators have a deep reverence for the source material. Wade Rosen’s Atari is clearly a different animal, eager to stake out its relevance with an “innovative retro” focus encompassing reboots, new IPs, and hardware like the nifty 2600+ (which rules). As gamers, it feels natural to want to cheer on Atari’s steps in the right direction after decades of stumbling.