Play Artillery Duel Online

You and a friend take turns tweaking cannon angles and power while wind screws up your shots—half the battle is arguing about whose math was right when the shell misses completely.

Released: 1983

File size: 4.89 KB

Game Overview

Artillery Duel on the Atari 2600 is one of those simple-but-maddening two-player games where you lob cannon shots at each other across a jagged mountain range. You take turns adjusting your angle and power—too little powder and your shot plops into the dirt, too much and it sails right over their head. The wind messes with you constantly, and half the time you swear your math was right, but the shot still lands way off.

What starts as careful calculation quickly turns into frantic button-mashing when the timer’s about to run out. The higher difficulty levels give you barely any time to think, so you end up eyeballing it and hoping for the best. There’s something deeply satisfying about finally landing that perfect hit after five straight misses—especially if your opponent was just a little too smug about their last shot.

It’s basic, but that’s the charm. Just don’t play it alone unless you enjoy fighting the AI’s suspiciously good aim.