Space Fury
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Space Fury |
Space Fury is a multidirectional shooter arcade game created by Gremlin and launched by Sega/Gremlin in North America in June 1981, with a subsequent release in Japan in July of the same year. It holds the distinction of being the inaugural title to utilize color vector graphics and was Sega's second game to integrate speech synthesis. In 1983, Coleco introduced a ColecoVision adaptation featuring raster graphics.
Gameplay
The player pilots a spacecraft engaged in combat against alien vessels, using four controls: rotate left, rotate right, thrust, and fire. Throughout the initial three stages, players can obtain enhancements such as a three-directional shot, firing simultaneously forwards and backwards, and intensified frontal firepower. After completing each round, an upgrade choice is presented; however, combining multiple upgrades is not permitted.
During intermissions and attract mode, the Alien Commander mocks players through synthesized voice lines. Although gameplay continues endlessly, scoring ceases after level four. Each new level begins with a synthesized segment from Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.
Alien Commander's quotes
- "Does anyone dare challenge my Imperial fleet?"
- "So! A creature for my amusement. Prepare for battle!"
- "So you defeated my scouts? Well, my cruisers will destroy you."
- "You are starting to annoy me, Creature. My destroyers will annihilate you!"
- "You survived! Warships, dispose of this annoyance at once!"
- "Well done. Prepare to battle my entire fleet!"
- "Our battle is completed, Warrior. You were an [easy / amusing / adequate / stimulating / outstanding] opponent" (depending on score).
Development
Space Fury was the pioneering vector graphics title to feature a color monitor developed by Electrohome. This X-Y monitor became a standard component of Sega/Gremlin's G-80 graphics system—an interchangeable arcade hardware platform capable of supporting both vector and raster games.
Designed and programmed by Sega/Gremlin developer Murphy Bivens, Space Fury shares similarities with Atari’s Asteroids, but incorporates lower ship inertia and screen wrap-around mechanics. Bivens introduced variable weapon upgrades between levels, representing the first shoot 'em up to allow firepower customization.
A key innovation was the inclusion of an alien commander character who communicates via synthesized speech generated by the General Instrument SP0256-19 chip, voiced by a DJ known for his deep tone. This voice talent also contributed to Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator.
The G08 monitors employed were initially prone to malfunctions due to a deflector amplification circuit designed by Electrohome to circumvent Atari's vector patents; however, this caused electronic failures during power cycling. Subsequent revisions of the G08 model addressed these reliability concerns.
Reception
Raymond Dimetrosky from Video Games Player offered a favorable review of the ColecoVision edition, describing the arcade original as "one of the best games following Asteroids" and commending the accuracy of the port. Although the arcade's speech synthesis was absent, he valued the substitute music tracks. Nonetheless, he regarded it less favorably compared to another ColecoVision port released concurrently—Nintendo's Donkey Kong Jr..
Legacy
The extraterrestrial leader depicted in the game and promotional materials also makes an appearance in Zektor, a separate game developed by Murphy Bivens and published by Sega/Gremlin.
Space Fury is accessible as a hidden title within the PSP edition of the Sega Genesis Collection.