Beware of falling objects. Sure, they didn’t look like boulders of snow, thanks to the limitations of computer graphics at the time, but the feeling of uneasiness was similar – players would have to use all of their calm-headed wits to avoid being buried in the icy rubble.

Introduced by Atari in 1978, Avalanche borrowed from the popular game, Breakout, by placing a player underneath rows of blocks, with only a set of paddles at their disposal. The problem was, unlike Breakout, these little blocks were on the offensive, rather than just waiting to be destroyed. Using a rotating paddle control, players tried to intercept all of the falling blocks before they reached their destination – the bottom of the screen.

As the game progressed, two factors made things increasingly more difficult. First, the blocks started falling at increasingly faster rates, making reaction time imperative to success. And second, players were forced to make do with less paddles, meaning there was much more distance to cover with that trusty paddle control.

It was a unique and entertaining concept to be sure, but Avalanche never managed to take a bite out of the popularity of its main competitor - another title by Atari called Asteroids, which presented its own challenges with pelting rocks. No sequels were ever released and it wasn’t until the 2600 game system arrived that players were able to relive the Avalanche experience at home – thanks to a look-alike game called Kaboom. Today, it remains only a distant memory to even the most dedicated arcade rats of yesteryear, those who witnessed the sky falling firsthand and wore out their wrist tendons trying to save the day.