Hostages (video game)

Infogrames

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	1983 (1983)
Headquarters	France
Products	Hostages (video game)

Hostages is a tactical shooter released in 1988 by Infogrames on a variety of platforms such as Acorn Electron, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, NES, and ZX Spectrum. The storyline revolves around a terrorist siege at a Paris embassy, with players leading a six-member GIGN counterterrorism squad tasked with eliminating threats and securing the hostages' safety.

A related follow-up title, Alcatraz, came out in 1992 for Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS.

Gameplay

Depending on the platform, Hostages offers either two or three distinct gameplay phases.

In the initial phase, players manage GIGN snipers (Delta, Echo, Mike) in a side-scrolling stealth operation. The objective is to stealthily reach sniper positions opposite the embassy while avoiding detection by searchlights. Timing movement carefully and utilizing cover is essential since being spotted triggers enemy gunfire. This phase concludes once all snipers are in place.

The second phase requires players to provide sniper support during the assault. Using scopes, players monitor embassy windows to shoot through glass and neutralize visible terrorists as assault team members rappel from a helicopter onto the rooftop and descend into the building. After securing the roof, control shifts to an operative who enters via a selected window.

During the third phase, players guide the operative inside the embassy armed with a submachine gun, alternating between first-person views in corridors and third-person perspectives in rooms. The player must locate hostages using floor plans that may reveal enemy positions, engage hostile forces, and secure rescued individuals—sometimes moving them to designated safe areas. Snipers positioned outside can assist if they have clear sightlines. The mission ends when all terrorists are eliminated and hostages are secured.

After completing the mission, performance is assessed based on factors such as speed, shooting accuracy, number of hostages saved, and survival of operatives. Results are displayed as a newspaper article summarizing the operation’s outcome.

Reception

The critical response to Hostages was predominantly positive. It received a perfect 5-star rating from Dragon. While Computer Gaming World noted some issues with joystick and keyboard controls in the PC edition, it still offered praise. Similarly, Compute! recognized it as "one of the better Amiga combat games," commending its distinctive approach that avoided conventional sci-fi themes.

A retrospective review published by Destructoid in 2020 acknowledged Hostages as a conceptual forerunner to the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series of tactical shooters, highlighting its innovative mechanics and Infogrames' consistent quality across different versions.

Reviews

• Atari ST User (January 1989)
• Raze (March 1991)
• Compute's Amiga Resource (August 1989)
• Crash! (August 1990)
• ST Format (March 1993)
• Raze (July 1991)
• Your Amiga (June 1989)
• CU Amiga (September 1991)
• The One (October 1988)
• The Games Machine (April 1989, December 1988, October 1989, September 1990)
• ST/Amiga Format (October 1988)
• Tilt (September 1990)
• Joystick (April 1991)
• Zzap! (September 1989)
• Your Sinclair (October 1990)
• Info (May 1989)
• Power Play (1988, 1989)
• Zzap! (Italy) (October 1989)
• ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (May and December 1988)
• Computer and Video Games (March 1991)
• Mean Machines (February 1991)
• Antic's Amiga Plus (August 1989)
• Jeux & Stratégie #54 ("Operation Jupiter")