Xybots

In 1987, Atari Games released Xybots, which brought the maze shooter into a pseudo-three-dimensional third-person view behind the character. The player, alone or as a pair, moved through a tangle of corridors full of robotic enemies and had to face not only their fire but also an increasing number of traps and puzzle elements blocking a straightforward path to the elevator to the next floor. Two-joystick control — one for movement, the other for aiming and shooting — gave the player precise control over the character in space, a fairly ambitious approach to character control for late-1980s arcades.

Each floor of the tower the player climbed brought a different layout of enemies and obstacles, while gradually upgrading weapons and armor made progressing through the game feel like genuine character growth, similar to other Atari action titles of the time. A time limit and dwindling oxygen kept the game's pace brisk and forced the player to proceed efficiently rather than wander the corridors aimlessly, and the game could also genuinely startle the player when a stronger opponent suddenly appeared around a corner.

Xybots ranks among the interesting experiments with spatial perspective at a time when most arcade shooters stuck to a fixed top-down or side view, and for Atari fans it remains an appreciated, if lesser-known, title from their rich 1980s catalog. Its grim atmosphere and tense pace make it an interesting counterpoint to the more colorful and lighthearted arcade games of the same era.

Why play it: For an unusual pseudo-3D take on the maze shooter, and the chance to climb the tower together with a second player.