Seaquest

Seaquest is an underwater action game where you pilot a submarine on a daring rescue mission. Your divers have retrieved buried treasure from the ocean floor, and now you must bring them safely back to the surface. The objective is to rescue as many divers as possible while dodging and blasting enemy submarines and killer sharks. Your sub can hold up to six divers at a time; surfacing with a full load earns valuable bonus points and increases enemy point values for the next round. However, your submarine has limited oxygen that depletes constantly underwater—when the alarm sounds, you have only eight seconds to surface or you will explode. Colliding with anything except your own divers also destroys your sub. The game grows progressively harder: each time you surface, enemy speed increases.

Atari 2600

Designed by Steve Cartwright (creator of Frostbite) and published by Activision in February 1983. Cartwright described Seaquest as a "reskin" of the arcade game Defender, adapting its fast-paced action to an underwater theme. The game features two modes: one-player and two-player alternating turns. Holding the fire button delivers continuous torpedo fire; difficulty switches control firing speed. A salvage company named "Seaquest Inc" sued Activision over the name, but the case was dismissed. Players scoring 50,000 points could send a photo to Activision to receive an achievement patch. Retrospectively praised for its tense balance of combat, oxygen management, and rescues, Seaquest remains one of the most compelling titles of the 2600 era.