Best of Commodore 64: Impossible Mission
Impossible Mission was one of the best Commodore 64 games available back in it’s day. It took Donkey Kong to the next level. Impossible Mission was basically a side scroller since it had running, jumping, obstacles, and platforms. But, it also had a goal, puzzles, and power ups.
Impossible Mission for the Commodore 64 came out in 1984, it was ahead of it’s time. By today’s standards the graphics are not good, but they were remarkable for the Commodore 64. The fluid way the character moved was entirely new. It made up for the pixelated look of everything else.
Mission Complete
The gameplay was relatively new. Instead of going for a high score in a game that never ended, this game had a way to finish the game. It was the original Escape room game.
The idea was to collect all the computer cards (a relic from the first computers), figure out how they fit together to reveal the password, and finally find the exit to win. All this had to be done before time ran out.
If it sounds basic, that’s because it is a simple game. But that doesn’t mean in wasn’t fun or rewarding to complete the game. Another innovative feature is the computer generated levels. No two games are the same. While each game uses the same 30 rooms, they are laid out differently every time. Each room has differently programmed robots too.
This means the game could be nearly impossible one time or fairly easy another time. It mostly comes down to how the robots acted in five or six rooms. The game included two power ups to compensate for those impossible rooms. The first item was a platform reset, and the other item temporary disabled all the robots in the room.
The robot disable item was worth it’s weight in gold for this game. Many times it came down to one stubborn robot getting between you and the last item in the room to search.
Robots Galore
The game mainly involved entering a room and searching every item in it while dodging the attacking robots. You could either jump or use the moving platforms to get around the robot. Each room was different so you had to figure out how to search items without being hit by the robots. Each time you get hit you lose 10 minutes of time. Eventually, you will run out of time and lose the game.
Three hours sounds like a lot of time, but most games were over in less than an hour either way. The game included a “call a friend” feature where you call to find out if you have enough pieces for a solution or not. Which saves you from having to search every item in the game. Especially since a few items were almost impossible to get to without a robot snooze card.
Figuring out how each robot was programmed was part of the fun. You never knew whether a robot could move, shoot, or chase you until it happened.
Solving the Puzzle
The puzzle pieces aren’t terribly difficult once you grasp how you use the tools to fit them together. It takes four cards to complete one puzzle. All the cards need oriented and set to the same color to reveal a letter.
Without any guidance, putting together one puzzle can take a while. But once you get how it works, each puzzle goes together relatively quickly. .
A Remarkably Fun Game For Being So Basic
It wasn’t terribly complicated. You searched for all the computer cards, solved the puzzles, and went through the exit to win. No hidden paths, secret traps, essential items to collect, or final bosses to defeat.
It isn’t the most complex game I’ve ever played, but it sure is a lot of fun even to this day. I still launch a Commodore 64 game of Impossible Mission every so often, complete it, and enjoy watching the end.
Best of Commodore 64: Impossible Mission brought to you by: David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
