Mad Planets
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Mad Planets |
Mad Planets is a 1983 arcade title in the multidirectional shooter genre, developed and released by Gottlieb. The gameplay centers on piloting a spacecraft that can move and rotate independently to fend off aggressive planets and moons attacking from multiple angles. The game was created and coded by Kan Yabumoto, featuring artwork by Jeff Lee and sound design by David D. Thiel. Drawing on their previous work on Q*bert, the team introduced novel elements such as hexagonal grid patterns. Kan Yabumoto passed away in 2017 due to complications from a degenerative lung condition.
Gameplay
Control is achieved through a flight-style joystick for navigation, a rotary dial to adjust the ship’s orientation, and a trigger button used for firing. At the beginning of each stage, planets emerge and gradually enlarge; players gain extra points by destroying these planets before they reach full size. Once planets develop orbiting moons, they become protected until all moons are either destroyed or hurled at the player. Afterward, the planet will aggressively charge toward the player.
Players can collect erratic astronauts by flying over them; these astronauts then appear in bonus rounds that occur after every third level (and every fourth level beyond level twelve). Comets orbiting the screen speed up if left unharmed and increase their point value by increments of 100 with each successful hit during bonus stages, capping at 1000 points.
Reception
In 1983, Steve Arrants of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games listed Mad Planets among the top ten titles showcased at the American Amusement Operators Expo. He commended its visually appealing graphics and highly responsive controls, drawing favorable comparisons to games like Robotron and Tempest. John Holmstrom’s review for Video Games magazine praised the game's intense pace and rock soundtrack but observed that the large size of the player's ship and repetitive elements in later stages diminished its lasting appeal.
Legacy
Simon Nicol, a programmer, created two Commodore 64 adaptations inspired by Mad Planets, released by Martech under the titles Crazy Comets and its follow-up Mega Apocalypse.