APPLE PANIC 1981

APPLE II, VARIOUS

In a rare case of an unofficial adaptation of an arcade game outselling its inspiration, Apple Panic did far better outside of Japan than its inspiration Space Panic. To give credit where credit is due, Space Panic did lead to the creation of one of gaming’s most popular genres – the platformer. But it doesn’t require the player character to jump, so it can’t really be described as the first platform game. However, it did influence the design of later games like Donkey Kong that have a more convincing claim to that title.

In respect of Brøderbund’s homage, Apple Panic replicates its arcade counterpart’s mechanics to a tee. The aim is to dig holes in platforms connected by ladders and then trick your foes into falling into them. Once trapped, you bash them into oblivion with your spade, and each time you clear a level of foes you meet more of them, including hardier variants. For these tougher opponents you need to dig two or three holes, each one exactly underneath the others. If they aren’t properly aligned then your enemy’s fall is stopped short by the surface area underneath, with a result that they’re able to walk away unharmed.

Where Apple Panic differs from Universal’s arcade game is in the way that its antagonists react to the player character, and this makes quite a difference to its gameplay. In Space Panic, your enemies gravitate towards you, albeit taking circuitous routes to do so. Whereas in Apple Panic you have to actively tempt foes towards the holes you’ve dug by getting as close as possible to them while avoiding their deadly touch. If you keep your distance they ignore you, spending their time on platforms and ladders far from your position. These considerations introduce strategy into the Brøderbund release that was never there in its arcade inspiration, which may go some way to explaining why Apple Panic was a hit in the US despite being based on a coin-op that went almost unnoticed in American arcades.