Elevator Action

Elevator Action Arcade Game

Elevator Action, released by Taito in 1983, was one of our favorite 80’s arcade games.  If you had even mediocre gaming skills, one quarter would last a long time on this game.  In this game, the player took control of a spy (Agent 17, aka Otto) who infiltrates a skyscraper with a ton of elevators inside.  Using the elevator contols, Otto had to collect secret documents hidden behind red doors, fight the enemy, and get to the first floor to advance to the next level.  Enemy agents could be evaded, shot, karate kicked, crushed with the elevator, or eliminated by falling light fixtures.

As the level progressed, the difficulty would increase by the number of agents, their shooting frequency, speed of the bullets, and the complex nature of the elevator systems.  If the player took too much time to advance, an alarm would sound that would speed up the game play.

Elevator Action Arcade Game Cabinet

Elevator Action did not make it to the Atari, but it was released on the NES, the Commodore 64, and Gameboy.  In 2011, a new version, titled Elevator Action Deluxe, was released for the PlayStation.  In 1994, a sequel, called Elevator Action II, was released by Taito (the game is also known as Elevator Action Returns).  With much better graphics, it was fundamentally the same game.