History VideoGame / Tempest

For the UrbanLegend version, see ''VideoGame/{{Polybius}}''.

* EpilepticFlashingLights: Early versions of the game reportedly had seizure-inducing visual effects, which may have inspired the ''VideoGame/{{Polybius}}'' {{urban legend}}.

The game came into creation when programmer Dave Theurer came up with the idea after having a nightmare about monsters crawling out of a hole. It's a ShootEmUp, and fun enough that it doesn't need any excuse. "Besides, we're Creator/{{Atari}}, and this is UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames; we know you're going to keep feeding quarters into anything with our logo on it, story or no. Go nuts, guys!" This video game was released in 1981.

* AdvancedTech2000: ''Tempest 2000'' for the UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar, a 1994 sequel to the original 1981 arcade game.

** Beating a level in ''Space Giraffe'' shows this, along with "[[{{Engrish}} CONGRATURATION! YOU SUCCESS]]"[[note]]Almost certainly a ShoutOut to [[Creator/HudsonSoft "Stop the Express"]] on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum[[/note]] and "[[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle BUT OUR GIRAFFE IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE]]".

-->-- Game Start dialouge in ''[=TxK=] and Tempest 4000''

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused]] with Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest.''

* CameraScrew: Specific to ''Space Giraffe'', where the camera is positioned to create blind spots in your vision (i.e. columns perpendicular to the screen). Additionally, there is camera spinning starting on stage 49.

* EverythingTryingToKillYou

* InterfaceScrew: In levels 65 to 80, the playfield is all black. Lanes still light up if you're in them, or if a Pulsar zaps them.
* KaizoTrap: When you complete a stage, your ship descends into the pit, and if you hit a spike made by a Spike enemy. The first few levels with spikes at least give you a brief "Avoid Spikes" warning. Also, you can keep shooting and moving as you descend, but you can still hit a spike too tall to clear in time (including hitting the middle of one if you screw up your movement).
* ShootEmUp

* VectorGame

* [[invoked]] ThatOneLevel:
** In a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRHJMf_jY8A#t=39m12 Google Tech Talk video]], Jeff Minter had a discussion about his games created at Llamasoft. He discussed ''Space Giraffe'', where he designated level 64 "Flumm Ox" as that one level. "If you get to level 64, I guarantee the first time you get there you would just go 'What the smeg is going on there' and you'll die." He then plays through the level. \\

* EverythingsBetterWithLlamas: the games contain multiple references to llamas and other ungulates, in the form of psychedelic imagery (during the game) and text (the names of some levels and some entries in the high score table).
* GameBreakingBug:
** ''[=TxK=]'' has one on the form of the player randomly moving even when no input is being touched on the left analog stick. This mostly seems to happen when you're in the middle of exiting a level. What's that? A Spike? Have fun with your ship randomly deciding to run into it even when you're in a lane that's 100% clear of obstacles.
** Another one happens in the "Stay on the Green Path" bonus stages. If you're moving with the left Analog Stick, the particle you're moving will suddenly lock in place as you're moving it. If it happens near the end, it will without a doubt screw up your entire run, denying you the 50,000 point bonus.

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: World 13 in ''[=TxK=]''; It's the shortest of the worlds in the game and the only one not to introduce a new enemy species, but it's a survival against four very difficult [[ZergRush Zerg Rushes]].