Taito Corporation Japan, 1994, Platform / Shooter
As the name suggests, "Elevator Action Returns" is the 1994 sequel to Taito's 1983 classic, "Elevator Action". I guess it's a somewhat overlooked gem compared to its famous predecessor. A shame, really, because it's actually quite brilliant and destroys the original game on all fronts. A quick comparison of the graphics between the two games reveals how much more sophisticated arcade technology had become during those years:
Elevator Action in 1983: So minimalist.
Elevator Action Returns in 1994: Lovely! Notice the depth of field effect on the buildings further away in the background.
It's plain to see that Elevator Action Returns looks totally awesome. Such detail! It plays very well, too. Gone are the clunky control methods of the older game. Choose from the three available characters, each with their different strengths and weaknesses, and jump straight into some intense, espionage-style gameplay.
Edie is my favourite character right now, mainly because of her sub weapon. The fire bomb creates a temporary blaze. Nearby enemies will tend to immolate themselves on the flames in a hilarious fashion.
Entering red doors is crucial to progress.
The original Elevator Action used a 4-way joystick. Therefore, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend that game to anyone who doesn't have a dedicated 4-way. I figure that would be the case for the vast majority of readers. Playing a 4-way game with an 8-way joystick creates too many input problems which are bound to cause stupid, unnecessary deaths. No such frustrations with Elevator Action Returns, though. The tightly implemented controls make the game a complete joy to play.
Blue doors are optional, but if you're lucky you may receive a top up for your life bar or some extra stock for your sub weapon.
Thanks to Taito's legendary in-house band, Zuntata, you'll never be short of some classy metropolitan beats to accompany the agonised cries of your victims. All the while, the top quality sounds of weapons fire and explosions will literally boom from your speakers.
KABOOM!!! Eat rocket launcher you terrorist scum!
If you want lots of epic boss fights, then I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. The main objective here is to gather intel, disarm bombs, and stylishly dispose of terrorist thugs along the way to the stage exits. There is, however, a rather interesting encounter to look forward to at the end of the game. Of course, I won't spoil that for you here. Hurry up and go play Elevator Action Returns for yourself!
As an alternative to typical arcade end of level boss fights, you'll sometimes get sections like this where you must sit tight and try to defend against relentless waves of enemy elites.
Back to the excellent graphics again. The screen is zoomed in here as a van arrives to deposit you at the start of Mission 3. Note the dents and rust stains on the side of the van. Such subtle environmental imperfections can be observed in many parts of the game world and help to build a nice sense of realism throughout.
In this sequence from Mission 1 (which also appears fully in the gameplay demo below) you can see an impressive transition as the character gets dropped off by chopper outside the building then steps inside. This type of layered graphical detail is used to great effect at some other points in the game, too, so get in there and revel in the beauty of Elevator Action Returns!
My Elevator Action Returns gameplay vid.
Note: At the time of writing, there is a very minor issue with the emulation of Elevator Action Returns. In certain instances, when you move your character forward the background skips ahead suddenly instead of scrolling. Fortunately, this only occurs rarely and makes no difference to the main gameplay. It's just slightly jarring when it happens, that's all.
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