Success

Success is a video game in the puzzle genre and published by SoftSide Magazine originally released in 1983. It is currently playable on Atari 8-bit.

Success is an often underrated Atari 8-bit game released in 1983. This classic game was a progenitor to modern "god games" like Civilization. Despite its timelessness, it is rarely spoken of today.

Success is a turn-based strategy game played on a gridded game board. The object of the game is to eliminate the competition by authoring successful pandemics. Players battle one another by introducing germs into enemy territories, attempting to wipe out their population.

A player wages battle with three weapons: black, yellow, and red viruses. Black viruses are the weakest, but the most plentiful. They sometimes aggravate an already-sick enemy area, but are less effective against a healthy population. Yellow and Red viruses are deadlier and more effective but dwindling in numbers. The last strike weapon is the “disease bubble” which can decimate any area.

The game board is split into continents, with each continent having diverse terrain types defining desirable locations for resources. The major resource in the game is “cure” which can be used to foil other’s pandemics. The ability to bring “mopups” in a friendly area that have been contaminated by enemies is another great feature.

Success is a timeless game and its game mechanics still spark interest today, indicative of its quality. Like turn-based strategy games, the game has distinct advantages over its real-time counterparts: players don’t need to rush into decisions, and have the opportunity to think tactically. There is plenty of room to strategize and the mechanic of the game forces players to strategize and think ahead if they want to come out successful.

While Success has largely been forgotten today, it stands as a testament of what could be achieved in gaming during the 80s. Its hyper-simplistic title is deceptive - assigning to it an unjustly low legacy. But Discovery of game classics cannot forget such a game, as its influence was vast, paving the way for modern 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) games.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.