Centipede

About

Centipede is a fast-paced arcade shooter where you wield a magical stick to defend a mushroom garden from crawling threats. Play as Oliver the elf, flicking your weapon to blast centipedes, scorpions, spiders, and fleas before they reach the bottom of the screen. Each level escalates in intensity as more enemies swarm the field, and defeating the centipede boss clears the round. The simple yet frantic gameplay works solo or with a friend taking turns, making it a classic arcade couch co-op title. Developed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey, one of the first major games with a female co-creator, Centipede stood out for its time by attracting a broad audience including many female players. The whimsical backstory about an enchanted forest under siege gives it charm that still resonates today. Though over 40 years old, its web browser port keeps the experience fresh for modern players. The blend of simple mechanics and escalating challenge earned it a lasting place in gaming history.

Storyline

The Enchanted Forest Once upon a time in a misty, enchanted forest, there lived a colony of good elves. These elves had a major problem, though. Their prized mushroom garden was infested with pests--a giant Centipede, a poison-spreading scorpion, a mischief-making spider, and a pesky flea. The good elves tried everything they could to rid their garden of these bugs. But nothing worked. One day, an elf named Oliver was hacking away at a poisoned mushroom in the garden. Suddenly, he saw an unusual stick gleaming in the dirt. Just as Oliver picked up the stick, a spider jumped out from behind a mushroom and rushed at him. When Oliver waved his hands wildly to try to scare the spider away, sparks flew from his stick and the spider disappeared! "How did that happen?" Oliver wondered out loud. "Could this be a magic wand?" Soon Oliver had another chance to try the wand. When the scorpion scurried across a row of mushroom, poisoning every mushroom it touched, Oliver pointed the wand at the scorpion and shouted, "Be gone!" Instantly, the scorpion disappeared and the poisoned mushrooms were transformed back into normal mushrooms. "This is great! This is the tool we need to clean up our mushroom garden" Oliver shouted ecstatically. With his new found magic wand, Oliver hid behind a mushroom. "OK, you great big Centipede," he said. "Come out wherever you are. I'm ready for you now!" --From the Atari 2600 Centipede instruction manual.