Elevator Action

In 1983 there was a game called Elevator action where people could play as a super spy. I first played this lovely little and simple game on my very first game boy. This game now gives me a sense of nostalgia that not many others can. This is a gem, and if you have never played it, check it out now.

You are a spy infiltrating an enemy spy base via a grappling hook. Your goal is simple. Find the document in one of the many doors available and get to the ground floor. To do that you will have to fight your way through constant waves of enemy agents, dodge their bullets, and use the labyrinth of elevators and escalators to get there.

I will never forget the time I found my way into the first room. This was for me the early nineties, getting to run around a building and shooting my way through it with the brand new shot gun from a room I snuck into was exhilarating. Nor will I forget the time I got squashed by the elevator because I stood too close to it. The game is simple, not terribly hard, but not easy either. There are two levels that bullets can come at you from, chest height and knee height, the thing to do is to kneel or jump respectively to dodge them, however, waves of agents can fire a hail of bullets at you rendering dodging pointless.

The mechanics were simple, but the ease of playing as a super spy who was good at his job was certainly new and exciting. This game doesn’t win any big awards like Mario does, but it has its place in video games history.