Atari fans have become accustomed to its Recharged series, a set of games from the glory days of the 2600 upgraded with new graphics, new modes, and just enough whizbang energy to let them thrive in today’s gaming landscape. For its redo of Lunar Lander, they’re taking one small step beyond that.
Lunar Lander Beyond from Dreams Uncorporated lands in 2024
Lunar Lander Beyond is a complete reimagining of the simple platforming game that first hit arcades all the way back in 1979. Developed by Dreams Uncorporated (Cris Tales), this new game features a full story that Atari lovingly detailed during its reveal this week.
As a newly appointed captain of the Pegasus corporation, you must guide a roster of colorful pilots, eclectic advisors and state-of-the-art landers through a taxing series of missions. Deliver cargo, retrieve resources, and rescue stranded pilots as you navigate a mysterious universe of moons and planets.
The surreal visuals seen in Beyond’s trailer represent the illusory visions the pilots see as they delve further and further into space, landing on more and more distant moons as the game goes on. By the end, there is talk of celestial pink elephants, which is certainly something beyond the capabilities of vintage vector graphics.
While we haven’t yet seen what Lunar Lander’s gameplay looks like in this latest reinterpretation, the developer’s distinct visual style may just give it a leg up on the many retro remakes on the market.
Lunar Lander Beyond will touch down on PlayStation 4 and 5 in the first half of 2024. These versions will join releases on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series X, and Atari’s own VCS platform.
