RED SUIT, the terrorist leader overwhelming military and police pursuit, has made his biggest threat yet: "Yes, God dwells here". Nuclear threats have been confirmed all over the nation following the message, and desperation begins to kick in. Three agents from DEF, an organization formed specifically to counteract this heinous series of crimes, sets off to investigate a rumored recruitment base for RED SUIT's revolution...Kart Bradfield, speedy and agile; Edie Burret, the gun expert with a fast trigger finger, and Jad the Taff, the "tank" of the group whose size is enough of a weapon all on its own. Together, DEF uncovers RED SUIT's ambitions far exceed any expectations...
With the release of both the Egret II Mini and City Connection's S-Tribute port of the Saturn release, Elevator Action Returns, Taito's quietly sung masterpiece and sequel to one of their bigger hits of the 1980s, is accessible in ways it never has been. Outside of the Saturn release (which has become astronomical in the resale markets), the only prior port of EAR was on the PS2/Xbox/PC Taito Legends 2, but suffered from some emulation issues that rendered the machine gun powerup as useless, among a few other performance problems. Still, my time spent exploring the game even in a compromised state revealed a masterclass of game design, 2D visuals, and a jazz-influenced soundtrack demonstrating Zuntata's versatility (which any random search into their discography will quickly spotlight, to be fair). The official soundtrack for the game even introduced movie trailer theatrics to the mix:
As for the game itself, it is a love letter to arcade...well, action! Polished controls, a multitude of ways of handling foes, and the dynamic level designs provide unique runs for each experience with its mechanics, and the three characters all offer enough nuance between them to make choosing an agent part of the decision making process. Speed runners might gravitate towards Kart, with his faster run cycle and powerful jumps giving him more mobility. Newcomers may enjoy the extra life and plowing ability of Jad, and Edie is, for once, a woman who is NOT the "fast" character, but the best at firing off her gun quickly and with the most impact, and, in my opinion, has the best grenade of the trio with the napalm fire it leaves behind for several seconds upon detonation. Combat is snappy, vibrant and fluid, and characters can fight upclose or at distance (with bonuses for jumping into foes or for decking them). The environment also offers additional ways to attack, including the titular elevators, which can crush anyone underneath them or above them. You can shoot out the lights or cameras to drop on enemies, send explosive barrels rolling to knock over anyone in their path, or find hidden weapon caches that give you a rocket launcher, machine gun or additional grenades. You can also duck in blue doors for bonuses and dodge bullets in the process.
The goal of each stage is to find all of the red doors, which hide documents or bombs. Once all red doors are cleared, you'll exit at the end of the map. RED SUIT doesn't make it easy though, with hundreds of hired hands of various degrees of movie influence to hound you. Basic punks are suddenly joined by shirtless genetically modified puppets that wield two machine guns and can take multiple shots, trenchcoated assassins packing shotguns, robotics, dobermans, and suave rival spies whose confidence is apparent in their spritework. And speaking of the sprites, they are gorgeously animated and a delight to witness. This is one of Taito's most stunning 2D demonstrations in my view, and makes each locale shine with a bunch of hidden details and little animation flourishes that give each a sense of life.
Work summons me so I can't espouse much more at the moment, but I hope you'll give EAR a shot. It's one of Taito's greatest games, an arcade hidden gem, and I've waited for over a decade for it to escape Taito Legends 2 and become accessible for more players. It's not every day a sleeper classic that didn't get its due at launch gets such a strong second lease on life and public acknowledgement, so I'm elated to have TWO different ways to play it on a modern system. And the S-Tribute is a lot cheaper than the Egret II Mini, haha.
Now get out there agents, and stop RED SUIT and his nuclear world order!
