Jinks (Europe)
What is Jinks (Europe)?
Jinks hit the Atari 7800 in Europe during the late 1980s, part of a wave of arcade-style titles that tried to find a home on Atari's overlooked console. It's a maze game at heart, though not as famous as, say, Pac-Man. The official release came courtesy of Atari Corporation, though exact developer credits are hard to pin down. If you're digging into the 7800 library, Jinks is a curious little title that shows how developers tried to stretch the hardware without a huge budget.
You control a ball-like character that rolls through a series of mazes. The goal is to collect all the glowing items scattered across each screen while outrunning enemies that patrol the corridors. There's no complex plot - this is pure arcade action. The ball can speed up a bit, and you have to learn enemy patterns to survive. The mazes get trickier with tighter spaces and more aggressive foes, but the core loop stays the same: grab everything, avoid contact, and move to the next level.
If you're a collector or someone who wants to see what the 7800 could do beyond the usual ports, Jinks is worth a look. It's simple and a little repetitive by modern standards, but it captures that late-80s arcade feel. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and it's certainly not the deepest game in the system's library, but it has a certain charm. Compared to other maze-chase games of the era, it holds up as a decent time-waster on a console that didn't get enough love.
How to Play Jinks (Europe) Online
Getting Started
When the game loads, you'll see the title screen and may need to press Enter (Start) to begin. Jinks is a straightforward maze game. Use the arrow keys to move your ball around the maze. Your main objective is to collect every glowing dot or item on the screen. Once you grab them all, a new maze appears.
Watch out for the enemies that roam the corridors. If they touch you, you lose a life. The game doesn't give you any weapons, so your only defense is to outmaneuver them. Learn their movement patterns and look for safe routes. Each new level introduces trickier mazes and sometimes faster enemies. There's no pause button mapped by default, but you can use the Select key (V) to pause in some versions.
If you're new to the game, start by memorizing the enemy patrols. You'll also notice that your ball can move at a slightly faster speed if you hold the B button (S key) while moving. Use that to dash through tight spots. The game has a simple scoring system, so chasing high scores becomes the main draw once you get the hang of the basic mechanics.
Jinks (Europe) Keyboard Controls
Controls
- Arrow Keys: Joystick
- X: Button 1
- S: Button 2
- Enter: Pause
- V: Select
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