BMAM.2026.053 · Arcade
Route 22 Rampage™
- Year
- 2025
- Medium
- Video game
- Platform
- Atari 2600 · 6502 assembly + Batari Basic
- Collection
- Lightly-Salted Arcade
A hand-assembled Atari 2600 cartridge inspired by Pennsylvania’s most unpredictable highway. Dodge traffic, potholes, and parked cars, and set the fastest time.
Behind the Work
Process notes
Development notes
Developed using a mix of 6502 assembly and Batari Basic, Route 22 Rampage pushes the Atari 2600 to new limits. What started as an experiment in low-level programming grew into a full game inspired by Pennsylvania’s most unpredictable highway. Each 16 KB cartridge is built, tested, and assembled by hand in the Lehigh Valley. The limited physical run of 42 cartridges has sold out; the digital ROM lives on.
Press
- Lehigh Valley Press — “Matthew Blum got game with his Route 22 video game” (opens in a new tab)
- WFMZ — “Allentown man creates Route 22–inspired Atari-style video game” (opens in a new tab)
- Lehigh Valley News — “’80s flashback: a retro race down Route 22” (opens in a new tab)
- The Valley Ledger — “Retro Gaming Meets Local Chaos” (opens in a new tab)
- lehighvalleylive — “Notorious Lehigh Valley Highway Inspires Retro Video Game” (opens in a new tab)
- Lehigh Valley with Love — “Route 22 Gets the Atari Treatment” (opens in a new tab)
Downloads
- Digital ROM download (opens in a new tab)Play on real hardware via flash carts, or in an emulator.
- Route 22 Rampage Tee (opens in a new tab)Merch — wear the cartridge art.
- Press Kit (opens in a new tab)Official assets and media.