Robotron: 2084, an arcade game developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar at Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics in 1982, is without doubt one of the most difficult games ever to grace the arcades.
In terms of sheer physical and mental challenge, it is second only to the popular Defender and direct sequel, Stargate, whose history and development are detailed in bonus chapter, "Defender (1980): The Joys of Difficult Games."
Indeed, it repurposed the technology found in those games, offering a graphical style, sound effects, pacing, and difficulty familiar to fans of these earlier titles. What makes Robotron stand out from its predecessors, however, is its concrete gameplay and innovative control scheme.
Spook-A-boo is a silly ghost-hunting game where you and up to 3 friends explore different levels, hunting down ghosts in a game of hide-and-seek.
"Back in the innocent 1990s, Jaleco released a trilogy of Super NES beat 'em ups in the Rushing Beat series. Well, in Japan, they were part of that series. In international markets, Jaleco renamed each game and censored it to pieces. Nowadays, however, a fourth game called RUSHING BEAT X: Return of the Brawl Brothers is in the works for Steam and Switch 2 from City Connection and Clear River Games. Like its predecessors, Rushing Beat X will support 2-player local co-op, and it's extremely promising," says Co-Optimus.
Netflix and Sandbox VR have announced a new multiplayer LBE game coming in 2025, Stranger Things: Catalyst.
