This Week In Retro: Elevator Action (Patreon)

June 1983: Going down?

by Diamond Feit

No one gets full control over how others imagine them, least of all fictional characters. It doesn’t matter how many appearances one can make in books, movies, or video games; executive meddling or an iffy on-screen portrayal might permanently impact people's perceptions.

Take James Bond, the esteemed make-believe British secret agent who first began serving the Crown in 1953 in the pages of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. That version of Bond bears little resemblance to the one who has spent the last six decades engaging in highly un-covert operations on movie screens around the world. Ask a random person what they think of "007" and they will likely mention his tricked-out sports car or his ridiculous sexual appetite before they identify anything related to espionage.

Yet despite Bond's outrageous behavior we do, at least on paper, refer to him as a spy, and many unofficial adaptations of the character use that profession as a means to avoid infringing on his copyright-protected moniker. The developers of Spy Hunter fully intended to create a James Bond road combat simulator but failed to secure the license; one wonders if Data East even attempted to contact Eon Productions when making the action platformer Sly Spy (known in Japan simply as Secret Agent).

Even though the game features none of his signature attributes, I surmise we can thank James Bond's status as the world's most famous spy for his conspicuous caricature on the title screen of Elevator Action. Otherwise, Taito's 1983 arcade game has little to do with gadgets, tuxedos, or bedding dozens of women, instead focusing squarely on old-fashioned document gathering.

Elevator Action serves as a prime example of a high-concept video game title, one that tells the player almost everything they need to know. Set entirely in an office building, each session begins with the protagonist—named Agent 17 or Otto according to English-language marketing materials—grappling and sliding his way onto a rooftop before boarding an elevator. Players must guide Otto to the basement where he jumps into a waiting car and heads off to his next assignment in another building. Each building retains the same basic structure with only slight, random variations for each playthrough; as with many arcade classics, Elevator Action loops infinitely and has no ending.

While riding elevators is the primary means of descent in Elevator Action, playing the game demands more than just holding down on the joystick. For starters, no single shaft can get Otto from the roof to the garage, requiring players to hop on and off elevators—or escalators on select floors—in order to reach their goal. The number of available elevators increases as the floor numbers decrease, with the bottommost levels offering more cars than carpet with only one allowing access to the basement.

Escape is not the sole purpose of Otto's mission, as he must also obtain a number of confidential files along the way. These mandatory pickups lie behind special red doors scattered throughout each building. The overall floor layout of Elevator Action does not change but the red door locations do, forcing players to think on their feet and keep their eyes peeled. Should Otto overlook a red door and try to exit, the game will scroll upwards and force him to retrieve any missed documents.

Rival agents will seek to prevent Otto's progress as they periodically spawn from the remaining blue doors on each floor. The bad guys only come in one flavor, all wearing the same outfit, all carrying a pistol and a license to kill. Otto carries the same, although his martial arts training offers him a physical advantage. Not only can Otto jump, but he leaps with his legs extended in a powerful kick, one that eliminates enemies just as easily as a bullet. Otto can also duck, a tactic that evades incoming fire in the early going but loses efficiency as the game progresses and foes grow wiser.

Elevator Action presents itself in a warm and friendly manner. The characters have big heads and small bodies, the violence is bloodless and cartoonish, and throughout its runtime a lively musical loop works its way into your head. The initial floors fly by as Otto lacks any reason to leave the first elevator, giving players a lengthy grace period to acclimate to the controls and the general threat level. The enemies also take their time reacting to Otto, only drawing their gun after a long delay and even then, always firing high. In my memories, I found clearing the first building on a single credit no challenge at all.

While its premise and overall goal are blissfully uncomplicated, I enjoy the little details that add a hint of depth to Elevator Action. Doors can block shots as they open or close, and the game enables players to time their exit from a red door. Emerging at just the right moment helps Otto live longer. Lights also hang from the ceiling on each floor but they're not just for show; a well-placed shot will knock them to the ground. This not only casts the floor in near-total darkness, but lamps also take out any enemies who might break their fall.

With its gentle difficulty curve, an agile hero, and just enough randomness to keep things interesting, Elevator Action quickly became a personal favorite at the arcade and at home thanks to a variety of ports in the years that followed. The NES version struck me as particularly faithful to the original, although Taito would later reimagine the title for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and even Game Boy Advance.

Taito eventually created a sequel called Elevator Action Returns over a decade after the first game. Despite the name and the presence of a few elevators, Returns completely reimagines the scenario as a hardcore action title with substantial level variety and frequent, massive explosions. I did not learn of its existence until many years later, an unfortunate case of a follow-up that never found as big an audience as it deserved.

Sadly, that seems to be par for the course for Elevator Action, as current owner Square Enix periodically resuscitates the brand and tries to market it to players new and old alike, without much success. A 2009 arcade revival took the title literally with a first-person perspective and actual elevator doors that opened and closed on the cabinet itself. In 2011, as downloadable software started catching on, Square Enix released Elevator Action Deluxe which allowed up to four agents to play at once.

Even without any recent fresh takes on Elevator Action, I'm pleased to report the original and its surprisingly bad-ass sequel remain accessible to modern players. The 1983 version has been included in retro compilations time and again in addition to Hamster's Arcade Archives series. Elevator Action Returns spent years as a pricey Sega Saturn exclusive, but in 2022 it got its own standalone release that includes special features like save states, slow-motion, and a complete port of the first game as well.

One thing's for sure: Elevator Action ditched the coy James Bond reference years ago, instead playing up Otto's bright blond hair and his enemies' drab appearance. Funnily enough, ever since 2006's Casino Royale, James Bond has also had blond hair, so the time for an epic Agent 17/007 crossover was on the table. Then again, if we're talking about blondes and elevator-based action, Captain America has that covered.

Diamond Feit lives in Osaka, Japan but is forever online, sharing idle thoughts about video games, films, and dessert.