Elevator Action Returns
Introduction
Elevator Action Returns was developed and published by Taito, released in Japanese arcades in 1994 as the sequel to the studio’s 1983 original, Elevator Action. Players once again control a spy infiltrating tall, multi-floor buildings, riding elevators and escalators between levels while shooting enemy agents, collecting secret documents from marked red doors, and avoiding gunfire on the way to each stage’s exit. The sequel significantly expanded on the original’s simple premise with more elaborate, vertically sprawling level designs, additional vehicle types like conveyor belts and moving platforms layered into the elevator-based navigation, and a noticeably faster, more frantic pace than the more methodical original. Two-player cooperative play let a second spy join the mission, adding chaotic depth to levels already built around fast vertical traversal and precise gunfights in tight spaces. Though it never achieved the same broad name recognition as the original Elevator Action, Elevator Action Returns is frequently cited by shoot ’em up and platformer enthusiasts as a genuine improvement over its predecessor and one of Taito’s most underrated arcade releases of the mid-1990s.
