Antimatter Splatter
VIC-20
Antimatter Splatter is a 1982 single-screen action game for the Commodore VIC-20, developed by The Computer Room and published by Bubble Bus Software. The game presents a unique premise: a line of humans at the bottom of the screen is threatened by barrels of anti-matter thrown by a devilish figure from above. These barrels travel along rotating, multi-coloured girders, dropping through holes toward the helpless humans below. Your job is to protect them by shooting the barrels with your laser, which fires rapidly when the button is held down. Between you and the falling barrels are several rotating platforms; shooting them creates gaps to intercept barrels, but they regenerate when fully destroyed. The game is notable for its high difficulty, with around ten barrels needing simultaneous attention, and its pure score-attack format with no traditional stages.
VIC-20
Released in 1982 for the Commodore VIC-20, Antimatter Splatter was one of several original titles published by Bubble Bus Software for the system. The game was praised for its great graphics and smooth animations, with each girder featuring a different colour and the humans shifting position when one is destroyed—a small touch that adds tension. Explosions are visually satisfying when a barrel hits the player. However, the game's audio is basic, consisting of just two tones that play repetitively and speed up as humans are lost, with no option to turn the sound off. Despite this drawback, Antimatter Splatter stands as an original and challenging shooter in the VIC-20's library, keeping players on edge as they protect their humans and beat their high scores.