FATHOM

EASTER EGG: Release the mermaid on level two, but swim up and leave before her cage fully opens. Transform into a seagull and fly to the left or right to a volcano. The initials of each programmer (Rob Fulop, Michael Becker, and Wilfredo Aguilar) will replace the volcano fireballs (pictures #1 and #2). {Chuck Hunnefield}

HIDDEN MESSAGE: The manual mentions to watch for a “special surprise” for completing the game.  At the end of level 7, “31001 95031 LGCA” appears (picture #3 and video #1).  This is actually Imagic’s old address (P.O. Box 31001, Laguna, CA 95031).

Holding UP+DOWN+FIRE while swimming makes the dolphin swim backwards (and down). {Matthias David}  Holding LEFT+RIGHT+FIRE makes the dolphin swim in place. {Scott Stilphen}

BUG: If you enter the “transformation” screen just as you are dying from the previous screen, both the dolphin and seagull will die (picture #4)! {Scott Stilphen}

BUG: If you die while flying up on a sky screen (as a result of hitting the top-most bird), you’ll appear on the sky screen above where you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise (Ex: On level 1, you can reach the highest sky screen on level 2).  {Scott Stilphen}

BUGWhen falling through the cloud screens quickly (and usually at a diagonal) I've noticed that often a cloud screen will repeat. This usually happens on the lowest screen just before you hit the volcano screen (the blue one with two clouds), but has happened higher up as well.  {Ben Reilly}

FRYING: Creates a version where the graphics for the sea horses, seaweed, octopi, birds, and clouds will be corrupted.  However, the sea horses and pink clouds will keep regenerating.  In the sky screens, the clouds will appear as black dots, and pink clouds will be regenerated every time a bird reaches the left side of the screen, making it possible to quickly ramp up the score.  Having a high score also makes it possible to break through the “boundary line” volcanoes, after which more volcanoes appear - even some invisible ones (video #2)!  The use of an auto-firing plug makes it much easier to get past the erupting volcanoes.  {Scott Stilphen}

FRYINGSometimes causes the ending victory music to play.

RUMOR: Although Rob Fulop claims the “escape” ship (shown at the end of Atlantis and Cosmic Ark) is hidden somewhere in the game, he doesn’t remember how to trigger it, and it doesn’t appear as a graphic in the code.

 

  

 


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