1984
Ask anyone who loves retro games from back in the day if they remember ‘Impossible Mission’ – they will almost certainly answer you back with the synthesised voice response of “Stay a while, stay FOREVER!” While this classic, and at the time ground-breaking, game was ported to nearly every computer and console format of the time, it surprisingly was never ported to IBM PCs (only the sequel was). Playing a secret agent (Agent 4125) on a mission to stop the evil Professor ‘Elvin Atombender’, who it is believed is tampering with the national security computers. You must infiltrate Atombender's lair, avoid his deadly robots (or use one of your limited ‘snooze codes’ on them!), and acquire the various pieces of a password for you to use in the main control room. You have 6 literal hours to complete the game; but 10 minutes of this time is lost each time you ‘die’ within the game, and a further 2 minutes are expended if you have use the help function on your mission ‘portable computer’. With 32 rooms and 90 robots it’s no wonder this mission has been classified as ‘Impossible’ – Good luck agent 4125!
Originally released in 1984, this classic platformer for the ZX Spectrum from British developers Gremlin Graphics saw players take on the role of a cartoon mole trying to grab enough coal from a South Yorkshire pit to warm his home over a long cold winter. Gameplay Avoid flying pickets, carnivorous fish, deadly hairsprays, and a host of other surreal hazards while grabbing as much coal as you can. Be sure to collect the bucket from the first screen, otherwise all the coal will be invisible!
1980s · 2D Platformer · Action