Joust

Joust is an action arcade game centered on aerial combat. You control a knight riding a flying ostrich and flap repeatedly to stay airborne while jousting enemy knights mounted on buzzards. The higher lance wins, so striking an opponent from above turns the enemy into an egg.

Enemy eggs must be captured before they hatch. If one hatches, the knight returns as a more difficult opponent, and a mount arrives to carry the newly hatched rider. Each wave requires you to defeat every enemy knight, while later waves introduce greater difficulty, collapsing platforms, lava pits, and occasional Egg Waves where every egg must be collected.

Hazards include a pterodactyl that can be defeated only by ramming it in the mouth and the Lava Troll, which can seize mounts or enemy buzzards near the lava. Two-player head-to-head play features distinct knights and mounts: a yellow knight on an ostrich and a light blue knight on a giant stork.

Game Details

• Genres: Action, Arcade, Platform, Platform / Run Jump
• Developers: Andrew J. Glaister, Atari, Shadowsoft, The Rugby Circle Inc., Williams, Williams Electronics
• Publishers: Atari, Atari, Inc., Atari Corporation, HAL, Shadowsoft, Softek, Williams, Williams Electronics
• Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 800, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Atari ST, Final Burn Alpha Neo, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sinclair ZX Spectrum