Tumblers

Tumblers

Console: Atari 2600
TV Standard: NTSC
Country: United States of America
Developer(s): Self-Published
Publisher(s): Self-Published
Release Date: 2024-08-28
Players: 1
Co-op: No
ESRB: E - Everyone
Type: Puzzle
Tumblers screenshot

The NTSC (National Treasury Security Council) recently released Tumblers, a security
software package being marketed to financial institutions. The NTSC asserts that
Tumblers is 100% hacker proof, claiming that the software’s ten unique security levels
make it impervious to any online breach.
In an effort to embarrass the NTSC, the anonymous group PAL (Programmers Against
Lying) has developed code, referred to as the “cube key,” that can unlock the electronic
locks of the Tumblers software. The cube key is available for download for anyone who
wishes to try their hand at safe cracking. To prevent the authorities from tracing any
users of the cube key, PAL designed it to automatically stop working after ten minutes.

Tumblers is an action-puzzle game where you use the cube key to unlock as many
electronic locks as you can in ten minutes. A lock is unlocked once the cube key enters the
keyhole at the top of the lock.
The cube key has six sides just like a normal cube, with three unique colors: red, green, and
blue. Each color occupies two sides of the cube, and opposite faces of the cube are the
same color. When the cube key is stationary, the near cube face is shown with flashing
color strips indicating the color of the top and bottom sides.
The score is the number on the left side at the bottom of the screen, representing the
number of locks that have been solved (or levels cleared).
The timer is shown on the right side at the bottom of the screen. It is set for ten minutes at
the beginning of the game. The timer only pauses when a level is completed and new
tumblers are being loaded for the next level. The game is over when the timer reaches zero.