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Grab your spy satchel and throw on your best jump-kick shoes, as Hamster's Console Archives recognises one of Taito's earliest and most notable contributions to the coin-op scene. The NES edition of arcade classic Elevator Action is available now on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
Originally released in arcades in 1983, before being ported to the Famicom in 1985 (and eventually the NES), Elevator Action is a single-screen spy adventure that challenges the player - as superspy "Agent 17" - to descend a series of high-rise buildings, dipping in and out of offices to steal secret documents, exchanging fire with enemy agents, and making it to the getaway car on the ground floor in one piece.
As the title suggests, elevators are the key gameplay gimmick, and players must efficiently utilise their best... erm... waiting skills in order to safely negotiate the building's numerous floors. Just like James Bond... I guess?
A commercial success on release, Elevator Action's gameplay today is extremely simplistic but still maintains a sense of fun, not to mention challenge. The NES port is not all that dissimilar from the arcade original, though it has to be said that Elevator Action has seen more than its fair share of rereleases in the past 20 years, and it does feel as though a slot in the Console Archives could have been given to something a little on the rarer side.
Taito's Elevator Action would be followed by the excellent, still highly playable Elevator Action Returns, which was released in Japanese arcades in 1994 and later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997. While retaining the key concepts of the original game, this ballistic sequel offered faster-paced action and compelling run-and-gun gameplay. Worth checking out if you're yet to take it for a ride.
Elevator Action is available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch 2. The arcade original is also available via numerous compilations and online stores, as well as Quarter Arcade cabinet form.