Ballblazer is a futuristic sports game released for the Atari 7800 in 1977 . The game takes place in the year 3037 , where humans from Earth compete in the Ballblazer Championship to win the title Masterblazer. For the first time, humans have qualified for the final round, fighting for their planet's honor.
The gameplay revolves around a 1-on-1 soccer-like game on a 1,155 square playing field called the Grid. The player controls a Rotofoil and must kick a floating ball called the Plasmorb into the opponent's goal. A unique forcefield allows the player to pull or push the ball using the joystick.
The objective is to move down the field, gain possession of the Plasmorb, and blast it in the desired direction. However, the Goldbeams on the field shift every second, making goals more challenging. The highest scoring goals are those made when Goldbeams disappear across the horizon, known as Over The Horizon (OTH) shots.
The game ends when time runs out or a player wins 10 consecutive goals. In case of a draw, overtime applies, and the first player to score wins. Scoring is based on points, with close-in goals worth one point, goals near Goldbeams worth two points, OTH shots worth three points, and players can also steal points from each other.
Scoring* Close-in goals - 1 point
Goals near Goldbeams - 2 points
The total combined score of both players cannot exceed 10 points.
A player winning 10 consecutive points automatically wins the game.