Here is where it all started. The first, legendary game by Dennis Caswell.
Back in 1984 Impossible Mission on the Commodore 64, published by Epyx, was a feast for the eyes, with its polished graphics, and the ears, with the stunning and legendary speech synthesis; and, most important, a compelling game with a tremendous atmosphere. It was a killer application for the C64; an instant classic; an immortal masterpiece. Easily the best C64 game ever released, especially considering the year it was released.
I can't remember a game so perfect.
Anyone who first started this game on cassette (single loading!) in 1984 will remember the amazement, confusion, and wonder it managed to evoke. It began in medias res, catapulting us into the underground fortress of the stereotypical mad professor, with the first great example of speech synthesis: "Another visitor... stay a while, stay forever!" A remarkable opening.
The voice suggested that someone was really there, inside the computer, playing the role of our antagonist; thus, finally, the C64 was no longer just a machine but a gateway to a real gaming world. And the game itself hadn't even started yet.
The second shock was to gape in awe at the incredible, ultra-smooth animation of the run, a genuine technical marvel that - as we would discover years later - the author had created using rotoscoping.
An elevator, a hallway, and finally the first room: what would be waiting for us inside? Robots, of course, like in other games; but these were different: they were intelligent, they could perceive you, turn around to check if you were behind them and attack you, or zap you with an electric shock from a distance.
And then came the moment to attempt that jump, the one that required a certain precision and, of course - given the name of the game - was often a failure. So, the first time you heard the agent's screaming as he fell, it was yet another shocking surprise, an experience that, after so many years of evolution in games, we can no longer describe or contextualize; at the time, it was simply terrifying.
Wonder and terror: that's the secret of the atmosphere; and above all, an unstoppable, compelling desire to move forward and discover what was still waiting for us.
.png "the nightmarish puzzle of the first game")
the infamous, nightmarish punchcard puzzle of the first game
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