Fathom FAQ/Walkthrough for the Atari 2600(Video Computer System)
Version 1.0 (last update 10/20/03)
Copyright 2003 Michael Springer (a.k.a. CapNClassic)
#####################
# Table of Contents #
#####################
1.0 What is Fathom?
1.1 Acknowledgments
1.2 Copyright Information
1.3 Story of Fathom
1.4 Objective
2.0 Setting Up
3.0 Game Controls
3.1 Dolphin Commands
3.2 Seagull Commands
4.0 Game Screen
4.1 Status Bar
4.2 The Deep
4.3 Terra Firma
4.4 The Heavens
5.0 Walkthrough
6.0 Endings
6.1 Point Chart
7.0 Game Secrets
######################
# 1.0 What is Fathom #
######################
1.1 Acknowledgments ----------------------------------------------------------
This guide would not be possible if not for the great people responsible for
the creation of the Atari Video Computer System without which I would not be
able to waste countless hours as a child, or now as an adult waste more hours
creating guides for the games I played in my youth. Fathom was programmed and
designed by Rob Fulop. Fathom is copyright 1983 Imagic. Some factual
information in this guide was verified from box scans at AtariAge.com, as well
the programmer inital cheat technique which is described in more detail in the
game secrets section.
1.2 Copyright Information
This guide is copyright 2003 Michael Springer. You may duplicate, distribute,
or archive this guide as long as you do not alter the contents of this
document and as long as you do not sell this guide. All trademarks and
copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark
and copyright holders.
1.3 Story of Fathom ----------------------------------------------------------
You are Proteus, a member of Neptune's court. Titans have imprisoned
Neptune's daughter, Neptina and shattered Neptune's Trident into three pieces.
You must travel the sea and air as a dolphin and seagull to collect the parts
of the Trident. Only when you have restored the Trident will you be able to
free Neptina. Proteus's journey will not be easy, octopuses, deadly flocks of
black birds, and volcanoes will hamper his progress. Neptune is powerless,
you are her only hope.
1.4 Objective ----------------------------------------------------------------
As Proteus, you must reunite the three pieces of Neptune's Trident and then
unlock the prison at the bottom of the sea freeing the mermaid. Each time you
rescue her the Trident's pieces will be hidden again, the prison will be
deeper, and sky higher, and one less volcano will block your path, making your
search harder. After you have freed Neptina for the seventh time, a special
surprise awaits you.
##################
# 2.0 Setting Up #
##################
Make sure that your Atari 2600(VCS) console is set up according to its
instruction manual. Make sure the power is off on the VCS before inserting
or removing the Fathom game cartridge. Insert the Fathom game cartridge and
an Atari joystick controller into the left controller port. Turn on your TV
and VCS, you should see the demo screen with the seagull and dolphin. The
seagull will fly across the land as the dolphin jumps out of the water.
Depress the game reset switch to begin a game.
Fathom is a one player game. The Left Difficulty, Right Difficulty, and
Game Select switches have no use with this game.
#####################
# 3.0 Game Controls #
#####################
This game was designed for use with an Atari joystick controller. The
joystick will be properly oriented if the red button is in the upper left hand
corner.
3.1 Dolphin Commands ---------------------------------------------------------
Press and hold the red button to swim. When you release the button you will
come to a stop. You can use the joystick to control the direction that you
swim. Pushing the red button will make you swim in the last direction you
pushed. If you swim to the water’s surface, you will jump into the air. When
you jump out of the water with the bird symbol, you will become the seagull.
3.2 Seagull Commands ---------------------------------------------------------
The seagull will flap its wings with each press of the button sending you
higher. Pressing the button quickly will cause you to fly faster. At anytime
you can guide the seagull left and right by tapping or holding the joystick in
that direction. As long as the seagull’s wings are extended it will glide
with the speed that it has gained by flapping its wings. When you press down
on the joystick, the seagull will stop climbing immediately and begin to
descend. You can still guide the seagull by pushing left or right. If you
want to begin gliding again, press the red button and your wings will extend.
To turn back into a dolphin you must obtain the dolphin symbol and be on
starting screen with the dolphin. Push the red button and down simultaneously
on the joystick and you will return to the sea.
###################
# 4.0 Game Screen #
###################
The game screen is divided into two areas, the top part is where the action
takes place and the bottom of the screen contains the status bar. The status
bar contains important information about your progress and condition.
4.1 Status Bar ---------------------------------------------------------------
The current level number is on the bottom left of the screen. The bottom
right number is your current health. You begin each level of the game as the
dolphin with fifty health points. Above you is the seagull and the waters
surface. As long as you remain on this screen your health will not decrease,
on all other screens your health slowly ticks town. After freeing the mermaid
at the end of each level, your health will be multiplied by the current level
and then this score is added to your previous totals.
The bird symbol will appear beneath the level number indicating that you can
change into the seagull. The dolphin symbol will appear diagonally downright
of the level number signaling that you can switch control to the dolphin.
Trident pieces will appear under your current health as you collect them.
4.2 The Deep -----------------------------------------------------------------
The only way to go from the water’s surface as a dolphin is down into the sea.
The first type of screen below the surface will contain many brown and gray
octopuses and purple seahorses. Avoid contact with the octopuses they will
subtract five points of health when you touch them. Collect seahorses, they
add ten points to your health. After you have collected enough seahorses, you
will get the bird symbol allowing you to become the seagull. If you collect
all the seahorses on a screen, a golden starfish may appear. Collect the
starfish to obtain a piece of the Trident. If you leave the screen before
you collect all the seahorses or the starfish, the screen will reset as if you
had not collected anything. Be careful you only have a limited number of
chances to collect seahorses before they stop appearing. After you have
collected all the seahorses and any starfish that have appeared, the octopuses
will begin to swim downward. Each progressive level adds one more of these
type of screens below the first with one more seahorses to collect.
The second type of screen is located just above the mermaid’s prison. It
contains seahorses or octopuses between two rows of seaweed. The screen
scrolls upward as you swim. Swim between the seaweed rows to collect the
seahorses to gain health and avoid the octopuses. The seaweed will not hurt
your health, but should be avoided because it hampers your movement and costs
you time. Each progressive level adds more seahorses and runs deeper. When
all of the seaweed and seahorses have left the screen, octopuses again begin
to swim downward. Swim to the surface and avoid the octopuses or downward to
the sea floor.
The bottom of the sea contains Neptina. You can view the captive mermaid in
her prison, but the mermaid’s prison can only be destroyed by the Trident.
Get to work, restore the Trident, free Neptina.
4.3 Terra Firma --------------------------------------------------------------
The land above the sea is more dangerous than the sea below. From the
starting screen you can head to your left or right. You can’t go up or to
close to the water’s surface. To the right you will see the water give way to
the edge of a brown volcano. On later levels the edge’s of volcanos will
contain a single black bird that will veer toward your seagull, avoid contact
with the bird or you will lose five health. One more screen right will lead
you to the volcano’s peak. Upon entering the screen the volcano will flare up
blocking passage to the right. This volcano will always blockade your way to
the right, but after each level one volcano to the left will not flare up.
These volcano’s will instead toss up flaming lava rocks to the left and right
successively. Be careful on these screens, if you make contact with the lava
you will lose ten points and touching the volcano’s surface will cause your
health to decrease quickly. From volcano peek screens you can only exit to
the left or right to the volcano’s edge, only from the edges of volcanoes can
you fly up into the sky.
4.4 The Heavens --------------------------------------------------------------
Above the edges of the volcanos the sky stretches upward. Each time you free
the mermaid the skies highest level is raised by one. The sky stages have
black birds that fly from right to left and pink or gray clouds that float
from left to right. Avoid the black birds, touching one will decrease your
health by five points. If you collect a pink cloud your health will increase
by sixteen points, if you collect a gray cloud your health will be reduced by
sixteen points. Whenever you collect a cloud it will disappear and a black
bird will begin to fly at that elevation from right to left. When all the
clouds on a screen are collected, a golden star might appear. Collect the
star to obtain a piece of the Trident, if you leave the screen you will have
to recollect the clouds to make the star reappear. After you collect enough
clouds, a dolphin symbol will appear in the status bar allowing you to turn
back into the dolphin.
###################
# 5.0 Walkthrough #
###################
The walkthrough contains the level number followed all of the star locations.
The star locations will give a sea depth (e.g. Ocean 3), an elevation if it
is to the right brown volcano (e.g. RightSky4), or the volcano color and
left/right plus the sky height (e.g. PurpleLeft3). It also has the total
number of seahorses that need to be collected to get the bird symbol, and the
maximum that can be collected. Also the number of clouds that you need to
collect to get the fish symbol and the maximum you can collect before the
clouds turn gray. It also mentions the number of seahorses located in the
seaweed stage and the number of seaweed in between each seahorse. And the
maximum health bonus that you can obtain using one of the tricks in the game
secrets part of the FAQ. Level 1 will be given a more detailed walkthrough,
but later levels will only give you the basics that you need to complete the
level. Volcanoes to the left of the starting screen change become available
in this order; brown, purple, green, gold, blue, brown2, and lime.
5.1 Level 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations Ocean 1 BrownRight1 RightSky1
Bird symbol 3-6 (7 seahorses * 10 pts) = 70
Fish symbol 3-8 (9 clouds * 16 points) = 144
7 seaweed 3 seahorses (switching form) 8 = 80
Max bonus health = 294
You begin at the waters surface. Swim down to the first sea stage. Collect
both seahorses and a star will appear. Collect the star and either swim
down to the seaweed stage to collect 1 seahorse, or swim up to the
surface and back to this stage to collect 1 more seahorses. When you have
collected three total seahorses, the seagull symbol will appear. Head for the
surface. Swim up to the waters edge and you will jump out and become the
seagull. Fly to the right, to the volcano’s edge. Fly up one screen and
collect the pink clouds. A golden star will appear, collect it and fly back
to the dolphin screen. Now fly to the screen to the left of the dolphin.
Fly up into the sky from the right edge of the brown volcano. Collect the two
pink clouds, but not too quickly. The first one you collect will make the
dolphin symbol appear. If you collect the second cloud before the dolphin
symbol completely appears, the gold star will not appear. Collect the final
cloud and the golden star. You can either return to dolphin form or you can
collect more pink clouds. You can now get some bonus points before you free
Neptina. You can now return to dolphin form to get a bonus ten points.
Collect one more seahorse, you will get a bird symbol and you can become the
seagull again for another bonus ten points. Then collect a cloud for the
bird symbol, and change back into a dolphin. You can continue changing forms
for eight total times. One the seventh time, you will be the seagull. Make
sure on the seventh time to collect two seahorses instead of just one like
normal. At this point collect one more cloud this will put you at seven total
clouds. Leave the screen, and return to it this way you will be able to
collect nine clouds instead of the normal eight clouds before they turn gray.
Return to dolphin form after collecting nine clouds. Swim to the right hand
edge of the screen to avoid the seaweed and octopuses. Once you have arrived
at the bottom of the sea, touch the prison wall and it will disappear along
with the Trident and the mermaid will swim out of view. You will begin on
level two with fifty health.
5.2 Level 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations Ocean 2 BrownLeft2 RightSky2
Bird symbol 6-12 (14 seahorses * 10 pts) = 140
Fish symbol 6-12 (14 clouds * 16 points) = 224
7 seaweed 4 seahorses (switching form 12) = 120
Max bonus health = 484
5.3 Level 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations RightSky3 BrownRight3 PurpleLeft2
Bird symbol 12-18 (21 seahorses * 10 pts) = 210
Fish symbol 12-24 (26 clouds * 16 points) = 416
3 seaweed 11 seahorses (changing form 12) = 120
Max bonus health = 746
5.3 Level 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations RightSky4 BrownLeft3 GoldRight4
Bird symbol 18-22 (26 seahorses * 10 pts) = 260
Fish symbol 18-36 (39 clouds * 16 points) = 624
3 seaweed 13 seahorses (changing form 10) = 100
Max bonus health = 984
5.3 Level 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations PurpleRight3 GoldLeft5 Ocean 5
Bird symbol 22-26 (31 seahorses * 10 pts) = 310
Fish symbol 22-44 (48 clouds * 16 points) = 768
3 seaweed 15 seahorses (changing form 10) = 100
Max bonus health =1178
5.3 Level 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations PurpleRight6 GoldRight6 Brown2Right3
Bird symbol 26-32 (37 seahorses * 10 pts) = 370
Fish symbol 26-52 (57 clouds * 16 points) = 912
3 seaweed 13 seahorses (changing form 12) = 120
Max bonus health =1402
5.3 Level 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Locations GreenRight3 Brown2Left6 Brown2Right4
Bird symbol 32-40 (46 seahorses * 10 pts) = 460
Fish symbol 32-64 (69 clouds * 16 points) =1104
1 seaweed 31 seahorses (changing form 18) = 180
Max bonus health =1744
###############
# 6.0 Endings #
###############
The game ends when you have freed the mermaid for the seventh time or you run
out of health points. When the game is over, the status bar will display a
number of hearts equal to the number of times you released Neptina. To the
right is your total score. Your score is equal to your health remaining on
each level multiplied by that level number all added together (eg. Level 1 100
+ Level 2*125 + Level 3*50 = 500 Total Points). To begin a new game, depress
the Game Reset switch.
6.1 Points Chart -------------------------------------------------------------
To achieve a high score, make sure to avoid enemies and collect the maximum
number of seahorses/clouds possible on a level. You can also change forms a
maximum number of times per level. Using these tricks outlined in the game
secrets section you can achieve a high score.
Black Bird -5
Volcano Edge -10/sec
Volcano Lava -10
Gray Cloud -16
Pink Cloud +16
Changing Form +10
Seahorse +10
Octopus -5
Seaweed 0 Hampers movement
####################
# 7.0 Game Secrets #
####################
While the bird/dolphin symbol is appearing if you collect all the remaining
clouds/seahorses on that screen before the symbol is completely done appearing
a golden star will not appear even if it normally would.
When you have collected the maximum seahorses/pink clouds, the next screen you
enter will no longer have these health providing bonuses. You can get more
than the maximum seahorses/pink clouds than a particular level would allow if
you collect up to one minus the maximum. Leave that screen and enter a screen
that has the most clouds/seahorses on it. Collect all of these bonuses and
then leave.
Whenever you become the seagull or the dolphin you are given a bonus of ten
health. You can use this trick to get extra health by collecting one
seahorse/cloud to get another bird/dolphin symbol, and then switching forms,
and then repeating this as the other animal.
If you free the mermaid on level two, and leave the screen before she does,
you can collect a seahorse to turn into a seagull. The volcanoe's lava will
be replaced by two sets of initials RF (Rob Fulop), and MB, WA.
Completing the game will reveal the address of Imagic.
