When did Rescue on Fractalus! release?

Rescue on Fractalus! was first released on April 1, 1985.

Rescue on Fractalus!

Apr 1, 1985ShooterSimulatorAtari 7800Atari 8-bitCommodore C64/128/MAXZX SpectrumTRS-80 Color Computer

Rescue on Fractalus! — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Rescue on Fractalus! on?: Rescue on Fractalus! was released on Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, TRS-80 Color Computer, Atari 5200, Apple II, Amstrad CPC, Amiga.
When did Rescue on Fractalus! release?: Rescue on Fractalus! was first released on April 1, 1985.

About Rescue on Fractalus!

The game utilizes fractal technology to create the craggy mountains of an alien planet, where the visilibility was drastically reduced by the dense atmosphere. The player controls a fictional "Valkyrie" space fighter (converted for search and rescue duty) from a first-person view, attempting to land and pick up downed Ethercorps pilots. Some of these mountains hold anti-aircraft guns, which have to be avoided or destroyed. Due to the varied terrain, the direction finder has to be used to locate the pilots, whose visual beacons are often masked by mountain ridges. At higher levels, the enemy Jaggis begin flying kamikaze saucers. The mission area also moves into day/night boundaries. Night missions are particularly difficult, requiring diligent use of the altimeter to avoid crashing. Flying consumes fuel. The way to replenish this supply is to rescue downed pilots who bring their remaining fuel supplies on board.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, TRS-80 Color Computer, Atari 5200, Apple II, Amstrad CPC, Amiga
Developer: Lucasfilm Games
Publisher: Epyx
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Atari 5200	1986	$40	$42	$45	Low (look-alike)

Release timeline

Atari 8-bitApr 1985
Commodore C64/128/MAXJul 1985
Apple II1985
Atari 52001986
ZX Spectrum1986
Amstrad CPC1986
TRS-80 Color Computer1987

First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.

We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari 5200 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19

Loose

$40

Complete

$42

Sealed

$45

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about 5 times a year
Sealed: about once a month

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $24 in Jul 2010, $28 five years ago, and $40 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2011	$24	—
Jan 2012	$12.06	—
Jan 2013	$22	—
Jan 2014	$70	$21
Jan 2015	$25	$6.51
Jan 2016	$14.99	$7.55
Jan 2017	$30	$40
Jan 2018	$15.50	$16.00
Jan 2019	$14.82	$21
Jan 2020	$14.50	$16.87
Jan 2021	$26	$31
Jan 2022	$31	$43
Jan 2023	$33	$39
Jan 2024	$31	$39
Jan 2025	$32	$45
Jan 2026	$35	$36
Oct 2026	$40	$42

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver 2 - Name not on label	CX5254	Scarce+

Complete copy (North America): Cartridge · Box · Instruction manual · 1 keypad overlay

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database

Region: NA
Released: 1986
Controller: Joystick
Players: 1
Authenticity: Low

Not in Atari 50 — other compilations and plug-and-plays are not tracked hereLow look-alike risk

Atari 5200 prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A 1984 showpiece for the 5200 that Atari did not release until 1986, now a scarce late cart with a title-less label.

Lucasfilm Games and Atari announced Rescue on Fractalus!, with Ballblazer, at a joint press conference in 1984. Computer Entertainer said in volume 3, number 2 that both were due that June for the 5200 SuperSystem and slightly later for Atari computers, and volume 3, number 3 repeated that the pair had been designed for the 5200 and Atari computers.

The 5200 cartridge then stalled. Computer Entertainer reported in volume 3, number 11 that Epyx had signed to publish the Lucasfilm games, but only for computers, so 5200 owners looked to be out of luck. Volume 4, number 2 recalled that the magazine had reviewed the 5200 versions in its May 1984 issue, before they were on sale. Wikipedia reports that Tramiel's Atari Corporation eventually released the 5200 cartridge in limited quantities in late 1986, manufactured from stock inherited in the July 1984 buyout of Atari, Inc.

How it was made

AtariAge credits Loren Carpenter, David Fox and Charlie Kellner as programmers of the 5200 cartridge. Wikipedia reports that Lucasfilm's games were developed with the Atari 8-bit computers and the 5200 in mind, and that the 5200 versions were not part of the later Epyx distribution deal.

How the Atari 5200 version differs

When Epyx took over distribution of the Lucasfilm games in 1985, it released disk versions for computers only, so the 5200 version was not part of the deal.

Computer Entertainer reviewed the 5200 version in May 1984, when it was still expected to ship, but Lucasfilm's Atari deal faded after Jack Tramiel took over.

Also on other platforms

Atari 8-bit · Atari 7800 · Amiga · ZX Spectrum · Amstrad CPC

ZX Spectrum	Activision (publisher)
Amstrad CPC	Activision (publisher)

Atari 8-bit. A cartridge version for the Atari 8-bit computers followed in December 1987, packaged for the XE Game System.
Atari 7800. An Atari 7800 version was canceled before the game was completed.
Amiga. An Amiga port to be published by Rainbow Arts was announced in 1991 but never released.

Before you buy

Rated Scarce+, which reflects those limited 1986 quantities. The Atari Corp label is the Silver 2 layout with the game title left off, and that is how a genuine copy looks, so a title-less label is not a red flag. It also means there is little on the cartridge itself to cross-check, so buy from a seller who shows the back of the cart and the contacts. Authentication risk is otherwise low: no fake has been documented. It is a one-player joystick game, so the usual 5200 stick check applies.