Survival Island (1983) was one of the last titles released for the Starpath Supercharger and made excellent use of the multiload format to deliver a three-part adventure. The game begins in the “Shipwrecked” section, where players must navigate treacherous waters on a raft, avoiding sharks and other sea creatures while collecting supplies like food and water. Getting hit by a creature causes the loss of the raft or life, and using the fire button to swim faster costs health points. The second stage, “The Wilderness Island,” shifts to a side-scrolling jungle adventure. Players explore the terrain in search of the temple entrance, its key, and other essential survival items. The food meter must be monitored and replenished with the supplies collected earlier. A unique search mode allows players to safely inspect items using a walking stick. The final stage, “The Secret Temple,” transitions to a first-person perspective as players explore an ancient ruin filled with magical barriers, one-way walls, and invisible teleporters. It’s a technically complex and multi-genre experience that demonstrated just how far the Supercharger could stretch the Atari 2600’s capabilities.

The No Swear Gamer Youtuber has a great review of this title.  It was way ahead of its time with passwords that you’d be shown as you progressed.  The passwords represented a save state for the game, so you either restart later in the game, or come back and continue your game.  It’s a multi-stage game and provides a great premise for a revival, or included within a comprehensive re-release. As we go through the entire Starpath catalog, we can’t help but wonder what the simplest modernization would look like.  It would require some clever engineering, but these games were written for 160×192 (NTSC) or 160×228 (PAL).  What if all of the art was upgraded — even with the same gameplay — but the resolution was 1920×1080?    Is that even possible with the 2600 emulators, or does it require a rewrite from scratch?   I suppose it’s up to you…