Play Millipede Online

Summary

Millipede, the 1982 Atari sequel to Centipede, keeps the classic trackball‑and‑single‑button control scheme but adds a rapid‑fire option that feels oddly satisfying. You guide an elf‑like Archer at the bottom of a mushroom‑filled field, trying to erase every segment of the ever‑advancing millipede before it reaches the screen’s edge. The creature snakes horizontally, drops a row when it hits a barrier, and sprouts extra heads at regular intervals, so a single shot can split it into multiple, independent threats.

The cast of bugs is where the game really expands: earwigs replace scorpions and poison mushrooms, bees leave a vertical mushroom wall that needs two hits, spiders zig‑zag while munching fungi, and inchworms slow everything when struck. Ladybugs turn mushrooms into indestructible flowers, dragonflies drop new mushrooms as they weave, and mosquitoes bounce off the sides, pushing mushrooms upward when you hit them. Each enemy behaves uniquely, forcing you to learn a tiny pattern before the next wave arrives.

Four DDT bombs can appear on screen; blowing one releases a toxic cloud that wipes out insects, mushrooms, and even flowers in its radius. After a few levels a massive swarm bursts onto the field, and each creature you destroy during that frenzy nets an extra 100 points, climbing up to a thousand. The game also lets you start at a higher difficulty, applying a score multiplier much like Tempest’s progression.

Visually, the cabinet is a riot of color, with full‑body artwork that makes it stand out on any arcade floor. Under the hood it runs on a 6502 microprocessor and two Atari Pokey sound chips, delivering that unmistakable retro arcade soundtrack. The original working title was "Centipede Deluxe," and the title later appeared on iPad and iPhone via Atari’s Greatest Hits collection.

Despite its niche theme, Millipede was the fourth highest‑grossing arcade game in the United States in 1983, proving that the added variety and frantic pace resonated with players long after the original’s success.

Storyline

In the arcade classic Millipede, you play as the Archer, a lone defender armed only with a bow and magic arrows. The game drops you into a sprawling mushroom forest where a massive millipede and other gigantic insect monsters crawl toward you. Your task is to shoot through the towering fungi and strike the giant millipede before it reaches the forest floor. The arcade flyer and instruction manual describe the Archer’s mission as protecting his mushroom kingdom from the onslaught of these oversized bugs. With each arrow you fire, you try to keep the forest safe from the relentless crawl of the millipede.