''Crossbow'' is a
light gun shooter
Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a shooter video game genre in which the primary design element is to simulate a shooting gallery by having the player aiming and discharging a gun-shaped controller at a scre ...
video game released in
arcades by
Exidy
Exidy was a developer and manufacturer of coin-operated amusements. The company was founded by H.R. "Pete" Kauffman and Samuel Hawes in 1973. The name "Exidy" was a portmanteau of the words "Excellence in Dynamics".
Notable games released by Exid ...
in 1983. It was later published by
Absolute Entertainment
Absolute Entertainment was an American Video game publisher, video game publishing company. Through its video game developer, development house, Imagineering (company), Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga, Atari 260 ...
for the
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
and
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
, and by
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warn ...
for the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...
,
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a home video game console officially released by Atari Corporation in 1986 as the successor to both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. It can run almost all Atari 2600 cartridges, making it one o ...
, and
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...
starting in 1987. The game is controlled via a
positional gun that resembles a full-sized crossbow.
Exidy promoted ''Crossbow'' to arcade operators as being convertible to new themes released in the future. Five themed conversion kits were created, each commencing with the letter 'c': ''Cheyenne'', ''Combat'', ''Crackshot'', ''Clay Pigeon'', and the controversial ''
Chiller
A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via a vapor-compression refrigeration, vapor-compression, adsorption refrigeration, or absorption refrigerator, absorption refrigeration cycles. This liquid can then be circulated th ...
''. Several more games were also released for the system: Hit 'n Miss, Showdown, Top Secret, and Who Dunnit.
Gameplay
The player protects a band of adventurers from afar by shooting objects that threaten them. The adventurers enter from the left-hand side of the screen and attempt to cross the screen unharmed. If the player helps them reach the opposite side of the screen safely, the adventurers survive to the next scenario, and new adventurers are occasionally granted between scenarios.
In addition to the obstacles, the adventurers are vulnerable to the player's shots. The first time the player shoots an adventurer, he/she will be unharmed with an onscreen warning message displaying. Thereafter, shooting an adventurer will cause him/her to emit a cry of pain, and to walk at a slower pace the rest of the way across. A second shot will kill the adventurer.
Scenarios are chosen by shooting a destination on a map screen, which include: town, desert, volcano, cave, bridge, jungle, and castle. The goal is to reach the final scenario, past the castle, in which the player confronts the Master of Darkness, who presumably created the dangers in the game. Defeating the Master of Darkness requires shooting him in the eyes when they turn red (and deadly). The player is treated to a brief congratulation and a challenge to defeat the Master of Darkness again, "IF YOU DARE". Following this screen the player starts over with however many adventurers survived the confrontation.
Another aspect of the arcade version of the game was that when one inserted a quarter into the game, the game would play a sound file that said "You will die!"
Reception
Gene Lewin of ''
Play Meter
''Play Meter'' (initially ''Coin Industry Play Meter'') was an American trade magazine focusing on the coin-op amusement arcade industry, including jukebox and arcade game machines. It was founded in December 1974 by publisher and editor Ralph C. ...
'' magazine reviewed the dedicated arcade cabinet in 1983, scoring it 4 out of 10 for being "a good game but overpriced".
In 1995,
Flux
Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
magazine ranked Crossbow 98th on their Top 100 Video Games. They praised the game calling it "A true harbinger of future arcade hits."
References
External links
''Crossbow''for the Atari 8-bit family at Atari Mania
for the Atari 2600 at Atari Mania
1983 video games
Arcade video games
Atari 2600 games
Atari 7800 games
Atari 8-bit family games
Commodore 64 games
DOS games
Exidy games
Light gun games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in castles
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Absolute Entertainment games
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