Space Zap
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Products | Space Zap |
Space Zap is an arcade fixed shooter with a space motif, created by Game-A-Tron and licensed to Midway Manufacturing in 1980. Players protect a fixed base from attacks originating from four separate directions, utilizing four large buttons to aim and a fifth button to shoot. The game was made available in three cabinet styles: a conventional upright model, a cocktail table version, and Bally's Mini-Myte, a compact cabinet design.
In 1981, an authorized adaptation named Space Fortress was launched for the Bally Astrocade console.
Gameplay
The objective involves safeguarding a central base against extraterrestrial assaults approaching from the four cardinal points. The control scheme includes four buttons arranged in a diamond shape, each corresponding to a direction for aiming, alongside an additional button dedicated to firing. Delays in response lead to the destruction of the base. Each stage ends with a satellite orbiting the screen that players must either shoot down or evade. After the initial rounds, gameplay accelerates into a rapid reflex test. Players begin with three lives.
The game accommodates one or two players taking turns, with the cocktail cabinet featuring controls on both sides for alternating play.
Scoring grants 250 points for hitting alien projectiles, 500 points for alien ships, and 2,000 points for eliminating the satellite at the end of each level. Extra lives are awarded upon reaching 150,000 and 300,000 points.
Legacy
Space Zap served as inspiration for several subsequent games, notably Cosmic Ark (1982) by Imagic for the Atari 2600, which expanded upon its gameplay mechanics. Numerous clones emerged on various platforms including Apple II (Outpost, 1981), TRS-80 Color Computer (Colorzap, 1982), VIC-20 (Cyclon, 1983), and TI-99/4A (Starship Pegasus, 1984). Some of these adaptations simplified controls by merging aiming and shooting into a single input. Additionally, Broderbund's Master Type (1981) reinterpreted the concept as an educational tool requiring players to press specific keys to fire, thereby enhancing keyboard skills.