Mad Crasher

Overview

Mad Crasher is an isometric sci-fi driving/action game produced by SNK Playmore in 1984 using the Marvin's Maze arcade hardware.

Gameplay

Taking elements from both driving and Shoot 'Em Up games, Mad Crasher tasks its players with maneuvering a futuristic motorcycle along a suspended track while opposing vehicles do their best to get in the way. To help, the player's motorcycle is equipped with two additional abilities beyond directional control—jumping and firing laser beams. Though it can be used to avoid other vehicles as a last ditch effort to avoid a collision, the jump is mainly reserved for the track's many gaps and ramps, while the lasers allow the player to shoot down enemy cars for additional points. Scattered throughout the track are reddish power-up strips that give the player a speed boost of questionable usefulness, given that there is no real benefit of going faster.

Like many games of its time, Mad Crasher is a pure high score chase without any explicit endgame. The player will receive a Game Over once all of their lives are depleted, which can occur from crashing into other vehicles or driving off of the oft-treacherous track.