Strachey's Game List - 1985
The Most Consequential Games of All-Time
Strachey’s List is my list of the most acclaimed, consequential, and influential titles of all time. There is a max limit of 20 games per year. As always, this is all my opinion and research. The list is named after Christopher Strachey, the first video game developer.
Commando
May 1985 - Capcom / Data East
Tokuro Fujiwara
An early innovator of the run-and-gun genre, Commando has you play as Super Joe, a soldier dropped off in a jungle to take out enemies and free soldiers. The game's shoot 'em up fast gameplay would inspire many in the genre for the next several years to come. During the game’s initial release, it became extremely popular in Japan and received high praise for its action-packed gameplay loop. Before the explosion of high quality narrative driven video games in the new millennium, Commando would consistently show up in best video games lists.
Duck Hunt
April 21, 1984 / October 18, 1985 - Nintendo
Shigeru Miyamoto, Gunpei Yokoi, Hiroji Kiyotake
I’m going to break the fourth wall and level with you guys here for a second, I completely missed putting this game on my 1984 list (lol). That being said, I decided to go ahead and include it in 1985 because that’s when it was released in North America, and that’s the region where the game earned its legacy. The game uses a light gun to shoot at ducks as your dog prepares to laugh at you when you miss. It became a staple of many American households due to its combo package with Super Mario Bros. in many NES consoles. It’s one of those games even non-gamers know about.
Gauntlet
October 15, 1985 - Atari / Tengen
Ed Logg
This fantasy hack-and-slash co-op title would launch a franchise and become an early video game inspiration for future fantasy western titles. Players can play as four characters and team up to take down enemies, find treasure, and escape the maze-like dungeons you explore. It originally launched on the arcade before finding another audience in consoles and computers. The concept and setting helped the game become a big hit, as friends looking for a fantasy escape loved teaming up to take down enemies. In a choice, I’m sure some would be surprised by today, it beat out Super Mario Bros. for Game of the Year in the Golden Joystick awards. It was another cap in the legacy of Ed Logg.
Gradius
May 1985 - Konami
Hiroyasu Machiguchi
One of the first shoot ‘em up space titles where you fight waves of enemies, Gradius became a hit from the moment it was released. Machiguchi Hiroyasu worked in Konami as a programmer and was tasked with making a game that could put the company’s name on the map as a video game developer. The team spent a stressful year-plus making the game, feeling pressured to succeed. You take control of the spaceship Vic Viper and take down a horde of enemies that range from enemy fighters to creatures and bosses. It became an instant arcade hit and eventually got a successful NES port later down the road. While space shoot ‘em ups were already popular, Gradius helped launch the golden age of the spaceship enemy wave shooters that would dominate a good chunk of the 8-bit era.
Ice Climber
January 30, 1985 - Nintendo
Kenji Miki, Shigeru Miyamoto, Masayuki Uemura
With a pretty stacked team of developers that would gain fame for significant parts of Nintendo’s history, Ice Climber has you play as Popo and Nana, who traverse a vertically scrolling mountain to reach the top and watch out for polar bears, condors, creatures, and obstacles. The simplistic design was another example of Nintendo’s genius in taking simple ideas and making fun gameplay loops. While it did have some success, Ice Climber’s legacy today is helped mainly by the two protagonists’ inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Makaimura / Ghosts n’ Goblins
September 4, 1985 - Capcom / Taito
Tokuro Fujiwara
Sir Arthur goes on an adventure to take on zombies, creatures, demons, cyclops, giants, and more to save Princess Prin-Prin from Astaroth. The platform game is tough, as two hits kill you, and there are plenty of enemies. Despite this, the game was still a massive success in the arcade scene and became even more popular when it got an NES port later. The game’s difficulty seems only to motivate gamers to take on its challenges, similar to the modern Soulsborne scene. Admittedly, this game arguably doesn’t age too well as it’s part of what some call a “NES-hard” game, which is more frustrating than challenging. Still, the game and its unique setting proved to be a big part of the 1980s 8-bit era gaming and is still remembered today.
Mach Rider
November 21, 1985 - Nintendo
Hiroaki Suga, Shigeru Miyamoto
You live in the year 2112 and must search for survivors in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Quadrunners. As the titular character, you drive from course to course searching for survivors, avoiding obstacles, and enemies. The game became a cult classic, elevated later on by the popularity of its main theme music. Mach Rider is also one of the first titles to showcase a female protagonist, as the character is revealed in art and the arcade version to be a woman.
Paperboy
February 1985 - Atari / Midway
John Salwitz, Dave Ralston, Russel Dawe, Carl Bedard
The concept sounds simple because it is. You play as a paper boy whose job is to deliver newspapers to subscribers on a suburban street. As you play, you’ll avoid obstacles, stock up when short on supply, and throw the newspaper on the porch. Despite this simple concept, the game became a hit pick-up and play title. Its addicting simplicity made it an easy arcade hit and later received numerous console ports. Today, it’s remembered fondly by many of the 80s era gamers and is among the titles even non-gamers know.
Space Harrier
October 2, 1985 - Sega
Yu Suzuki
A symbol of the golden era of Sega arcade games, Space Harrier has you play in a fantasy world, taking down enemies through fifteen levels. The on-rail shooter pushed graphics at the time, pushing a lot of colors on screen and giving the player a feeling of being inside a fast-paced world. Initially, the game was going to be another military style shooter, but Yu Suzuki wanted to do something different and came up with the idea of a human flying around and doing the shooting. The game would put Suzuki on the map, who went on to make several iconic games for the company.
Super Mario Bros.
September 13, 1985 - Nintendo
Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Created to give the Famicom and NES a must-have title, Miyamoto brought back the Mario brothers and put them in a full-blown adventure. The game popularized the formula of 2D platformers with the level structures, boss fights at the end, power-ups, collecting coins, and doing it all with a catchy tune. The Mario brothers set out to save Princess Toadstool (Peach) from King Koopa (Bowser), who made his debut and became the most famous video game villain. The game showcased the hardware's capabilities with colorful worlds and easy to learn but also challenging platforming. What else is there to say about this game… we all know this game. It only proved that Miyamoto was untouchable in the industry, made Koji Kondo into a legend with the creation of the most well-known song in video game history, and firmly established Mario as the face of the industry.
Tetris
1985 - The Soviet Union / Nintendo (Game Boy / NES)
Alexey Pajitnov
Created by Soviet Union computer engineer Alexey Pajitnov as a way to pass time during work, Tetris is based on his love for the game of tennis. The game was an addictive, fun puzzle title that probably defines pick-up and play more than any other game. Eventually, the game started to leak out and get shown by others in the West, and it got the attention of Henk Rogers. Roger saw the game as his ticket to success and actually flew to the Soviet Union to get official rights to the game, which proved difficult as the communist country did not believe in artists making a profit from their creations. Rogers formed a friendship with Alexey and took on Robert Maxwell (father of the horrible Ghislaine Maxwell) and others to secure the rights. In the end, Rogers got the rights to Tetris and formed a temporary partnership with Nintendo to release it with the Game Boy. Rogers and Nintendo took on the Soviets and won. Today, Tetris is possibly the most played video game of all time and among the most well-known games in gaming history.
Thexder
April 1985 - Game Arts
Hibiki Godai, Satoshi Uesaka
Control a robot in a run-and-gun, fast-paced action title. You’ll deal with waves of enemies, with multiple weapon systems, and the ability to turn into a jet fighter. The game was a commercial and critical success, especially in Japan. Gamers in Japan loved the fast-paced action, and it helped the game’s marketing, which used anime mech art direction. While Thexder isn’t well remembered by many today, it paved the way for future run-and-gun titles like Contra.
Be Nice to All
I loved playing Thexder as a kid.