Elevator Action Returns

Elevator Action Returns is a port of the arcade sequel to the classic Taito series, in which agents shoot their way through multi-story buildings full of enemies, elevators, and escalators. The player fires at enemies, dodges their gunfire, and uses elevators to move quickly between floors, while some sections also require platform jumping and destroying specific targets to progress further. Compared to the original from the eighties, Returns offers more refined graphics, more types of enemies and environments, and new weapons that add variety to the run through each floor.

On the Saturn, the game tried to preserve the source material's fast arcade pace, with colorful, finely detailed levels and fluid character animation. The environments are varied, ranging from office high-rises to military complexes, and each brings its own arrangement of enemies and hidden bonuses. The music and sound effects follow the series' energetic, action-driven tone and underscore the constant pressure the game exerts on the player through enemies attacking from all sides and the need to keep track of elevator movement. The difficulty is fairly high and rewards mainly players who can make quick decisions and aim precisely, since a mistake on a densely populated floor can mean an instant loss of life.

Elevator Action Returns is among the lesser-known but solidly crafted action titles on the Saturn that draw on the tradition of arcade cabinets from the eighties and nineties. The game could also be played by two players, which increased both the chaos and the fun in densely populated floors of the buildings. Despite its brevity and straightforwardness, it offers an intense, well-balanced experience, appreciated especially by fans of classic run-and-gun games and players who grew up on the original arcade Elevator Action. Today it stands as an interesting reminder of how the genre could handle vertical, floor-by-floor level design long before it became a common feature of modern action games.

Why play it: For fans of classic run-and-gun arcade games, it offers two-player chaos and thoughtful vertical level design that led the genre long before modern action games did the same.