Space Panic
| Space Panic | |
|---|---|
ColecoVision port box art | |
| Developer(s) | Universal CBS Electronics (CV) |
| Publisher(s) | Universal Coleco (CV) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, ColecoVision, PV-1000 |
| Release | November 1980: Arcade 1981: PV-1000 Winter 1982: ColecoVision |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating |
Space Panic (スぺース・パ二ック, Supesu Panikku) is a 1980 arcade video game developed by Universal. Predating Nintendo's Donkey Kong, and lacking a jump mechanic, Space Panic was the first game involving climbing ladders between walkable platforms. The genre was initially labeled "climbing games", but later became known as platform games. A ColecoVision port by CBS Electronics was released in the winter holiday season of 1982.
The original arcade game was commercially successful in Japan. It was an obscure release in North America, but a clone, Apple Panic, became a top-seller for home computers. Lode Runner (1983) later put its own spin on climbing and digging, a lineage which eventually took on the name puzzle-platform games.