absurdo, esse jogo é um absurdo de bom
um salve pro Yasuhisa Watanabe que só fez bangers pra esse jogo, principalmente a Blow Up
os cenários é algo indescritível, a fase do aeroporto, a dos andaimes, que artwork linda meus amigos

played on ps2

I'm a silent operator, won't you please take my hand, I am so polite, I'm the Elevator (Action Returns) man.

Elevator Action Returns may open quietly, but the quick cuts between action, "EMERGENCY" warnings, and the game's cast of characters sets the pace perfectly from the second the Taito and Ving logos fade. It doesn't really let up from there, with the only real respite you'll find being the character select screen, which gives you a moment to pick between big dumb himbo action man Jad the Taff, pretty boy Kart Bradfield, and my personal pick - gun expert and shaman Edie Burret. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses (as well as their own off-brand weapons, like the Glog-18 and Dessert Eagle), providing some versatility in who you pick besides aesthetics, though you won't need to strategize much given Elevator Action Returns' strong focus on reflexive gameplay. Hesitate or fail to scope out a floor - typically while engaged with enemies above or below - and you'll get your dome blown off like Leo in The Departed. Or eaten by dogs. Sometimes both! That's alright, though. I'm a dog lover, so I just hope I taste good.

There's not much here in terms of bespoke level gimmicks, but this works well for the type of game Elevator Action Returns is. By keeping it strictly focused on movement between levels and racing through dangerous corridors to diffuse bombs, Returns keeps the action moving at a steady clip, and that's pretty much what you want for an arcade game. That's not to say things don't get shaken up, but it usually comes in the form of big cinematic set pieces that don't impair the flow of gameplay. Each level is set in a wildly different location, like an airport terminal or an oil rig, which creates this sort of Die Hard feeling of being trapped in a terrorist-occupied location as a one-man army with zero regard for collateral damage.

Each level packs a ton of detail that would make it feel "alive" even if dudes weren't flying around on jetpacks and whole floors weren't spontaneously bursting into flames. Situational awareness and having a lay of the floors above and below you are critical to gameplay, so everything is pulled out to give the player a better sense of what's going on. Because of this, character sprites are fairly small, yet they animate so smoothly that that they aren't lacking in character. It's a great looking game not just in the arcade, but on the Saturn as well.

You can also unlock the original Elevator Action (or just unlock it with an Action Replay if you're like me), which creates a perfect linear comparison between the two games. It's kind of great how this goofy, rudimentary little shooter evolved into a pastiche of 80s and 90s action films and anime. Different eras of hardware and media no doubt influenced the design of each game, but to see them side-by-side is novel and a bit funny.

Thankfully, Elevator Action Returns: S-Tribute makes this game more accessible today than it has been, so there's no real need to dive into emulation unless you really want to save 12 bucks. I couldn't tell you with any first-hand authority if it's a good port, but Elevator Action Returns is such a fun game and a strong recommendation that I think you should get at it by any means.

A very very very good time! I haven't played in years so going back to this was a treat.

I think I will always enjoy how the first level plays out the most however. The later levels do get a little bit complicated, but nothing I don't outright hate.

Just a good classic arcade game.

Bit of a shock to play right after the original Elevator Action, going from violence being cutesy sprites keeling over with Xs in their eyes to watching a graphic animation of a guy burn alive or a dog go down! I think that shock of juxtaposition informed a lot of my surface impressions of this game for the worse, given that Elevator Action is a game I played in my formative years and Elevator Action Returns is not.

But this isn't a bad title by any means. As much of a genre shift as it is, this is a logical way to expand on the original Elevator Action's mechanics: more complex buildings with more involved layouts, higher focus on action with more weapons, expanded environmental effects and designated set pieces. The game's constantly keeping you on your toes this time around, translating the original game's need to be hyper-aware to a more linear but no less focused design. I think this is a game I could really come to appreciate on replay, if the circumstances were right and I found myself in a position to do so.

Let the record show: the best playable character by far is Jad the Taff. Edie may be named after and use a Beretta, and Kart may be named Kart and use a Glog 18 (mathematically, a clear upgrade on the Glock 17), but neither of them are the Taff, with his Dessert Eagle. I will hear no further arguments.

This is a sharp game. It transfers the mechanics and satisfying full-screen dynamics of the original but lends them an atmospheric early 90's anime aesthetic and really ramps up the mayhem. Leaping shrapnel, bouncing shell casings, barrels that roll and even board elevators before exploding. It fills the screen with movement, and it feels joyous because the animation is great and the levels don't drag on.

And the movement, like the original, is of a kind of reptilian, start-and-stop rhythm. It breeds an impatience in the player, especially when you miss a cycle on an elevator, and enemies continue to pour out of doorways, and alarms sound to get you into the next red door. You leap over shafts---take risks you shouldn't. It's an action game in conversation with both deliberate and hectic pacing, and it does this very naturally.

It isn't perfect though. For a game that exhibits a confident control of screen space, its few boss encounters are shockingly simplistic (here's a bunch of enemies spawning on a flat surface). As good as the game is, and it is very good, there's a nagging sense that its encounters could be pushed further, maybe through more rigorous or challenging enemy designs. Nonetheless, its a game of distinct pleasures, and maybe that abrupt ending is trying to tell me something: just enjoy it while it lasts.

Taito looked at Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal and wondered why they didn't dress like Robert Plant.

Cracking arcade platform shooter, and one of the few examples of a gritty reboot of a cute 80s classic really, really working. Pretty brainless if you're happy to throw in endless credits, but tense and exciting if you're really watching your health. A few too many sections with bullshit enemy arrangement, but it complements the game's chip shop rental charm.

I played through on the new S-Tribute Switch release, which is based on the Saturn port. This brings back the console-exclusive feature of loading screens, and new widescreen borders that you can't turn off. Savvier players may opt to play this on Taito Legends 2 instead, but what's a tenner for the sake of convenience?