Red Sea Crossing (video game)

Red Sea Crossing
Original cartridge label
DevelopersSteve Stack, Inc.
PublisherInspirational Video Concepts
ProgrammerSteve Schustack
PlatformAtari 2600
ReleaseOctober 7, 1983[1]
GenresPlatformer, Christian
ModeSingle-player

Red Sea Crossing is a Christian side-scrolling video game for the Atari 2600. Released for mail order only in 1983, its existence went unrecorded until it was discovered at a garage sale in 2007. Very few copies have been found as of 2018, making it one of the rarest published console games of the 1980s.

One of the earliest Christian video games, Red Sea Crossing is the first published console game based on an event described in the Bible.[2] It was created and published by an independent programmer without any involvement from Atari, Inc.

Gameplay

Moses parts the Red Sea and the player directs him between the parted waters. Moses must avoid obstacles such as seaweed and giant clams, as well as the pursuing Egyptians, by precisely timing his movements and jumping.

A fish swimming in the water behind Moses serves as a time limit – he must reach the end of the screen before the fish. Bonus points are awarded for collecting stone tablets or catching doves, and a staff item awards an extra life.

The developer has claimed that the game is winnable, but after 128 screens it appears to reset to level 2.[3] When the player runs out of lives, the Red Sea closes up.

Development

In 1983, Red Sea Crossing was developed independently by Steve Schustack. He developed the game in California using a Franklin ACE computer. He decided to make a Christian video game believing that it could be a marketable niche,[4] but also notes that he enjoys making software for children:[5]

I see children as a terrific market and one many of us are very familiar with [...] Money isn't the only aspect to this; there's plenty of potential satisfaction out there for the grabbing. I like the thought of my young nephews' and nieces' cute little fingers pressing keys, while [the game's] music and animation bring smiles to their faces.

Schustack had between 100[6] and 500[7] copies of Red Sea Crossing manufactured. He self-published the game and sold it exclusively through a single magazine advertisement by Michael Nason.[8][9] The game shipped with a coloring book[2] and an audio cassette tape recorded by Dale Evans Rogers,[10][11] both about the Exodus.[12] The publisher was named "Inspirational Video Concepts".[4]

Schustack did not continue advertising Red Sea Crossing after the first ad resulted in very few sales[12] and decided against making another Atari game.[13] He has said in retrospect that developing Red Sea Crossing "was a real thrill" and that he felt time pressure to release a game quickly.[14]

Rediscovery

External images
The Christianity Today advertisement for Red Sea Crossing
A reproduction copy of Red Sea Crossing, with new artwork, distributed by a 2012 auction winner

A copy was found at a Cincinnati rummage sale in 2007, and the discovery of the unattested game proved controversial. Users of the AtariAge forum identified Schustack as the developer and contacted him; he recalled advertising the game in an unspecified religious magazine. In 2011, an advertisement for Red Sea Crossing was found in a 1983 issue of Christianity Today, finally verifying the game.[1][9][15]

Calls for the finder, who was not a video game collector, to sell the game increased after another alleged found copy was discovered to be a hoax.[15] The finder scheduled an auction in 2012.[9] Days before the auction was to occur, a genuine second copy of Red Sea Crossing was discovered by a Philadelphia thrift store owner.[16][17] The auction was carried out after a deferment,[18] and the game sold for $10,400.[9] The second copy was also auctioned in 2012 for $13,877,[19] with the higher price attributed to growing media awareness of the game and the cartridge being in better physical condition.[20]

One of the buyers used the game cartridge to create reproduction copies for collectors[15] and the ROM image is now readily available online.[21] The coloring book and cassette tape originally packaged with Red Sea Crossing have not resurfaced and may be lost.[20] Two additional original copies of Red Sea Crossing were found by 2018, bringing the total to four. One of the cartridges, with a missing end label, was sold for a lower price than was seen in the 2012 auctions.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b James, Mike (February 15, 2023). Smoke and Mirrors. Andrews UK Ltd. ISBN 9781837910335.
  2. ^ a b Durham, Gabe (June 2, 2014). "Quality Control". Bible Adventures. Boss Fight Books. ISBN 9781940535074.
  3. ^ Degeneffe, Greg. "Red Sea Crossing". Atari Compendium. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Hall, Stefan (September 6, 2018). "Indie Games in the Atari Era". In Media Res. MediaCommons. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  5. ^ Schustack, Steve (January 1, 1993). C for Fun and Profit. Carmel, IN: Sams Publishing. p. 493. ISBN 9780672303654.
  6. ^ Scullion, Chris (December 24, 2019). "History Lesson: The rarest, most expensive games". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Plunkett, Luke (September 10, 2012). "One of the Rarest Games on Earth is About The Bible". Kotaku. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Lucky, Kate; Mellen, Alexandra (August 14, 2023). "A Chorus of Replies about Church Worship". Christianity Today. sec. "Behind the Scenes". Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Goldfarb, Andrew (September 10, 2012). "'Holy Grail of Atari Games' Sells for $10,000". IGN. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Nason, Michael (October 7, 1983). "Bible Video Game Brings Fun Home". Christianity Today (full-page advertisement).
  11. ^ Metzger, Richard (January 15, 2014). "Atari 'holy grail': Moses 'Crossing The Red Sea' Bible story video game, 1983". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Schustack, Steve (February 19, 2026). "Re: Did Red Sea Crossing ever have a genuine retail box?". AtariAge Forums. Retrieved March 14, 2026. The coloring book was about the story of Moses. The audio cassette was too. I have no recollection regarding sourcing. I did not design the box art and don't have a clear recollection of how it looked. [...] I'm not sure exactly how many were sold, but not very many. If sales had been better, I would have spent more on advertising.
  13. ^ Schustack, Steve (February 17, 2026). "Re: Did Red Sea Crossing ever have a genuine retail box?". AtariAge Forums. Retrieved March 14, 2026. I stopped working on games for the Atari platform after the sales of my first one were weak.
  14. ^ Schustack, Steve (February 17, 2026). "Re: Did Red Sea Crossing ever have a genuine retail box?". AtariAge Forums. Retrieved March 14, 2026. It was a real thrill to write the game. The time pressure was huge because it was a race to get new games to market. People, who were successful, did very well financially and that was a big attraction.
  15. ^ a b c "Red Sea Crossing - der heilige Gral des Atari 2600 im Test" [Red Sea Crossing – Testing the Holy Grail of the Atari 2600]. NeXGam.de (in German). January 14, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  16. ^ Woods, Don (September 11, 2012). "Vineland natives stumble upon rare Atari game". NJ.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Attn. Nerds: Super Rare Atari Game Surfaces At Medium Bob's". Philebrity.com. August 20, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Conditt, Jessica (August 21, 2012). "Rare Atari 2600 game, Red Sea Crossing, pops up in Philly shop". Joystiq. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Woods, Don (September 12, 2012). "Rare Atari game discoverd by Vineland natives sells for $13,877.78 on eBay". NJ.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "The Rarest and Most Valuable Atari 2600 Games". Racketboy. June 21, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  21. ^ (2017) "Red Sea Crossing Manual (Unofficial)"
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