Joust (USA)

Why This Entry Matters

Soar into 1982 with Joust, the iconic Williams arcade classic! Master aerial jousting on a flying ostrich in surreal arenas. Relive pure retro gaming magic with groundbreaking co-op

Soar into 1982 with Joust, the iconic Williams arcade classic! Master aerial jousting on a flying ostrich in surreal arenas. Relive pure retro gaming magic with groundbreaking co-op

Important Features

Joust stands out through tight traversal, collectibles, and recovery after mistakes.

• Mounted Aerial Combat: Master the physics of controlling a flying ostrich, using altitude and dive attacks to defeat opponents in fast-paced jousting duels.
• Crowded Co-op Battles: Battle alongside a friend in simultaneous two-player co-op, supporting each other to take down relentless enemy waves.
• Strategic Survival Gameplay: Navigate arenas, collect eggs that spawn new enemies, and strategically knock riders from their mounts to eliminate threats.
• Unique Core Mechanic:
• Perfect for Two Players: Share the fun with a friend in two-player co-op, creating chaotic and cooperative strategies.

How to Approach a Run

Master your flying lance by learning movement, jousting, and tactics.

• 1. Steer & Take Flight: Press Z on keyboard to flap your ostrich wings and fly upward. On a gamepad, press the primary button (usually 'A' or 'B'). Tap the button to hover at different heights. Press LEFT or RIGHT on arrow keys or WASD to move horizontally. Letting the ostrich fall also affects speed during a dive.
• 2. Engage in Joust: When both players are at same height while flying towards each other contact results in a push rather than attack. To joust, position your knight's lance above the enemy rider's lance by having higher altitude at moment of impact or by timing a dive attack as he rises slightly lower; successful knock dismounts them into pterodactyl's egg retrieval duties. On keyboard press X to boost quickly into action. You also have an ability to 'joust bounce' off ledges.
• 3. Score Points & Survive: For each successful dismount, you land safely and watch the fallen knight transformed into tiny egg which spawns again if not collected promptly from its container when released by breaking open container manually pressing action button again to free. On keyboard, pressing Space activates this action also. Once a egg is on ground, wait for countdown; if time runs out before collecting, you hatch into stronger enemy rider, adding challenge.

Port and Version Details

Joust is cataloged as an Atari 7800 entry. Title markers such as USA help separate this Atari 7800 entry from nearby regional or build variants. The current tags are Co-op, Fantasy, Atari 7800, USA Release, 8-Bit, which help group the page with similar games without relying on a single generic label.

Game Questions

What are the exact requirements for defeating enemy riders?

In Joust, it’s position over contact. For an enemy joust defeat, your ostrich must have knight's lance higher than his during collision.

Does Jost (USA) allow cooperative high score playing modes besides multiplayer?

This version is designed for simultaneous two-player co-op mode only, players working together increases both survival chances and overall score pool through shared elimination credits but no specific cooperative-only bonus exists beyond extra player help.

What happens if players both die many times without eliminating opponents promptly early rounds

Each screen has time limit after which pterodactyl appears; this predator can remove lives instantly but yields 2500 points if beaten via above joust rule too.