Elevator Action

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Elevator Action is a successful arcade game that was developed by Taito Corporation from 1981 and first marketed in the USA from June 1983.

The controls consist of a four-way joystick and two buttons (game buttons). Elevator Action makes a simple impression at first glance. Going from top to bottom with a pawn in a tall building doesn't sound like a challenge. After just a short playing time, you realize that strategy and advanced skills are required to be successful in this game.

Elevator Action could not top the arcade hit lists like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong at the time . Nevertheless, Elevator Action achieved cult status as an arcade game.

Elevator Action was followed in 1994 by the arcade game Elevator Action Returns (published in the US as Elevator Action II) and some special versions that were only published for home game consoles .

The composer 's incoming music for the game was Yoshio Imamura.

Elevator Action
Elevator Action Logo.svg
Studio Taito
Publisher Taito
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1983
genre Action game
Game mode Up to 2 players take turns
control 4-way joystick ; 2 buttons
casing Standard, cocktail
Arcade system Taito SJ = Main CPU :
Z80 (@ 4 MHz),
M68705 (@ 750 kHz)
Sound CPU:
Z80 (@ 3 MHz)
Sound Chips:
4 × AY-3-8910 (@ 1.5 MHz), DAC ( @ 1.5 MHz)
monitor Raster resolution 256 × 224 (4: 3 horizontal) Color palette: 64
information Second CPU as copy protection (encrypted opcodes)

Game flow

The player slips into the role of an agent for an organization that is not defined in detail (code name "Otto" or "Agent 17"). This ropes down from above onto the roof of a 30-story building and occupies the elevator through a shaft on the top floor.

Here the game begins with level 1. From now on the player is uncompromisingly pursued and shot at by opponents (unspecified security guards of the building in black outfits and hats). The opponents step out of blue doors suddenly and without a pattern into the corridor of the building. Sometimes they disappear again in these.

The player must collect secret documents by entering all the red doors of the building on his way down. Using elevators and escalators, he tries to get to his escape vehicle on the bottom floor without being eliminated by constantly attacking enemies.

Score points

The player must shoot opponents in order to score points. 

Punkteübersicht für das Spiel:

Erschießen eines Gegners bei Licht : 100 Punkte
Erschießen eines Gegners im Dunkeln : 150 Punkte
Dropkicken eines Gegners bei Licht : 150 Punkte
Dropkicken eines Gegners im Dunkeln : 200 Punkte
Lampe auf einen Gegner fallen lassen : 300 Punkte
Zerdrücken eines Gegners mittels Aufzug : 500 Punkte
Geheimdokument abholen (rote Türen) : 500 Punkte

Level (game round)

When all secret documents have been collected, you have to reach the elevator that takes the player to floor B1. From here the player can no longer be shot down. He runs to the car, jumps into the getaway vehicle and sped away. The level has now been successfully completed and the player receives a bonus. 

Der Bonus für
Level 1 : 1000 Punkte
Level 2 : 2000 Punkte
Level 3 : 3000 Punkte usw.
Ab Level 10 gibt es immer 10000 Punkte

Die klassische Grundeinstellung des Arcadespiels beginnt mit 3 Leben und einem Bonusleben bei 10000 Punkten. Andere Einstellungen sind mittels Dipswitch möglich.

After the player has successfully completed level 1, he automatically starts with level 2, again in the elevator on the 30th floor. This scheme is the same for all levels.

Action options of the player

With the joystick, the player determines the direction of movement (left, right, down, up), the direction of fire (right or left) and the possibility of crouching in case of danger.

The first button (play button) is used to shoot up to three shots in a row. You can fire three more shots within a second.

The second button is intended for jumping (on the spot without simultaneous joystick movement) or drop kicking (to the left or right side with simultaneous joystick movement).

Opponent's radius of action

The opponents appear and disappear suddenly and variably through blue doors and always shoot immediately, either upright, crouched or even lying on the ground.

No enemies appear from red doors. If the player has picked up a secret document, the door color changes to blue and opponents can now appear from this door.

Opponents only fire one shot at a time and can only shoot again after a few seconds. From time to time, enemies fall into the elevator shaft and are killed. However, there are no points for the player.

Elevators

The elevator is the central device in this game to get down from floor to floor. In normal game mode, all elevators can be controlled up and down with the joystick.

However, caution is advised. Opponents are constantly trying to shoot the player from the right or left. In addition, the player cannot duck in the elevator, but only hop (the elevator then goes up) or get out of the elevator to the right or left or dropkick.

It is possible to skip elevator shafts if there is no elevator rope in the middle of the shaft, otherwise the player will fall into the shaft and lose a life.

The player can also ride down on any elevator roof, but the elevator cannot then be controlled. Only a small offset downwards (about the length of a leg of the character) is possible to climb on or jump up. If the elevator has already gone too far to the next floor, the player will lose his life if he jumps behind it. (Caution: there is a risk of being crushed when traveling up the elevator).

Double elevators have no particular function, except that the upper box always stops two floors above the lower box. It is therefore advisable to use the lower box in the double elevator.

Escalators

The player can use the escalator to go down or up on the right or left side of the building. To do this, he runs or jumps on the rectangular marking and pushes the joystick down or up. While moving on the escalator, the player cannot be shot and cannot shoot himself.

Floors and buildings

The high-rise building, which is the same for all levels, has a total of 30 floors - marked by numbers. (Strictly speaking even 32: the shaft on the roof of the elevator is the 31st floor. The floor on which the escape vehicle is and a respective level is ended with the designation B1 below the first floor).

It is always bright on the illuminated floors. The only exception is a temporary darkness of a few seconds, which the player triggers by shooting corridor lamps from the elevator. However, simply shooting the lamps does not score any points.

  • The floors 15 to 11 are generally not illuminated.
  • There are escalators on the left and right on floors 20 to 17 and on the 16th only on the right.
  • Floors 30 to 21 are narrower than the lower ones. There are 2 doors on either side of these floors and the elevator in the middle that connects floors 30-19.
  • An elevator on both the left and right side connects floors 11 through 7.
  • Floor 7 has no doors at all.
  • The lower part of the building has 6 to 1 doors on both sides and 5 elevator shafts in between.

The escape shaft to floor B1 to end the level varies. There is no fixed scheme and the escape shaft is only visible to the player on the lowest floors.

Red doors

In order to successfully complete the respective level, all secret documents must be collected from all red doors.

  • In level 1 there are 5 red doors.
  • In level 2 a total of 6 red doors etc.
  • The maximum number of 10 red doors is reached from level 7 and is not exceeded in higher levels.

The arrangement of the red doors is always random. If the player stands on the square to the right or left of the red door, he only needs to push the joystick to the right or left and the red door opens automatically. The player disappears behind it and can linger for up to five seconds. Then he is automatically put in front of the door. However, depending on the situation, you should decide when the best time to leave the room behind the red door is, i.e. earlier if necessary.

If you missed one or more red doors when you reach floor B1, you will automatically be teleported to the red door that is farthest away.

Higher level

Each level records an increase in the speed of the opponents. This applies to movement and shots. In addition, more and more opponents move from level to level on the player's level of action to make life difficult for him.

Time alarm

If a player needs longer in a level than the normal game mode allows, a hectic melody sounds and a time alarm is triggered. This means that from now on the opponents will be much faster and more agile, they will shoot much faster and the elevators will be difficult to move. If a player loses a life during the time alarm, the time alarm remains. This can only be ended by the player reaching the escape vehicle and thus successfully completing the level. (Caution: playing under time alarm is difficult!)

successor

In 1994 , Taito released a sequel to the game. This was sold in the USA as Elevator Action II and in Japan and Europe as Elevator Action Returns . The game has much better graphics and special effects such as exploding barrels, digital voice output (and screams), additional weapons (machine gun, bombs), different characters to choose from, and a larger game world. The game principle has essentially remained the same, but relies less on high-rise scenarios and therefore also offers places such as an airport or an industrial park as new levels. However, the sequels were not as successful as the original cult game.

Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage (2000) based on the animated series Dexter's Laboratory for Game Boy Color is also part of the series, but is not by Taito.

In 2009 the lightgun shooter Elevator Action: Death Parade was released . The game has been available on the PlayStation Store since mid-2011 as Elevator Action Deluxe for the PlayStation 3 , which is based on the 1995 arcade version.

Ports

Consoles

Home computers

Similar games

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