Impossible Mission
| Impossible Mission | |
|---|---|
Cover art
|
|
| Developer(s) | Epyx |
| Publisher(s) | Epyx |
| Designer(s) | Dennis Caswell |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64 (original) Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 7800, BBC Micro, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum, PS2, PSP, NES, Nintendo DS, Oric Atmos |
| Release date(s) | 1984: Commodore 64 1985: Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum 1986: Amstrad CPC 1987: A7800 1988: Sega Master System 2007: PS2, PSP, DS, Wii 2010 Oric Atmos |
| Genre(s) | Platform/Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Impossible Mission is a video game for several home computers. The original version for the Commodore 64 was programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Epyx in 1984. The game features a variety of gameplay mechanics from platform and adventure games and boasted novel features for the time, such as digitized speech. Impossible Mission, which casts the player in the role of a secret agent infiltrating an enemy stronghold, is widely considered one of the best games for several platforms and inspired sequels and remakes.
The player takes the role of a secret agent who must stop an evil genius, Professor Elvin Atombender, who is believed to be tampering with national security computers. The player races against the clock to reassemble and decrypt the password to Atombender's control room while avoiding deadly robots. Password pieces are found by searching furniture in the rooms. When searching, the player can also reset all moveable platforms and freeze enemy robots for a limited time. The game also features similar rewards for completing bonus puzzles. Impossible Mission enemies include two types of enemies. The first are the robots. These have a cylindrical main body. Their bodies are electrified, and some are able to use a short range death ray. Some are stationary; others move in patterns, and others specifically hunt the player. Some have to actually see the player, and others know where the player is at all times. The second enemy is a hovering, electrified ball. Most of these chase the player.
The player has six hours of game time to collect 36 puzzle pieces. Every time the player dies, 10 minutes are deducted from the total time. The puzzle pieces are assembled in groups of four. The puzzle pieces overlap, so three pieces can be assembled before the player realizes he must start over. Pieces may be in the wrong orientation, and the player may have to use the horizontal or vertical mirror images. Additionally, the puzzle pieces are randomized in every game. A completed puzzle forms a nine letter password which lets the player reach Professor Atombender.
The first element of the game to be created was the player character's animations, which designer Dennis Caswell lifted from a library book about athletics. Caswell recalled, "I animated the somersault before I had any clear idea how it would be used. I included it because the animations were there for the taking ..." Caswell cites Rogue as his inspiration for the randomised room layouts, and the electronic game Simon as his inspiration for the musical checkerboard puzzles. The hovering balls were inspired by the Rover "security guard" from the Prisoner TV series.
...
Wikipedia