Berzerk

Berzerk was the game that talked. In a room full of bleeps and bloops, a robotic voice would suddenly yell “Intruder alert!” and every head turned. You were a little green stick figure in a maze full of robots, with walls that fried you on contact and a grinning face that came after you if you hung around too long.

It's not playable in our arcade yet, but it's on the UsuArcade wish list, and you can vote to bring it in sooner.

History

Stern released it in 1980, and its speech synthesis was a big deal at a time when hardly any games could talk. The robots taunted you, called you a chicken and announced that the humanoid must not escape, all in a metallic voice you could hear from across the arcade.

It got a sequel, Frenzy, and its villain, Evil Otto, became one of the most memorable bad guys of the era.

How to play

You move through a maze of rooms, shooting in eight directions at the robots guarding them. To move on, just leave through an open exit, but wipe out every robot first and you earn a bonus.

The walls are electrified: touch one and you lose a life, same as getting shot or bumping a robot. Take too long in a room and Evil Otto shows up, a bouncing smiley face that passes through walls and can't be destroyed. All you can do is run.

Fun facts

• It was one of the first arcade games with synthesized speech.
• Evil Otto is indestructible; the only option is to get out.
• The sequel is called Frenzy.

In the arcade

Berzerk is on the wish list: coming soon to UsuArcade. Vote with the “I Want to Play It” button to move it up the line of games to add.

In the meantime, if you like mazes with danger around every corner, Pac-Man and Space Panic are already in the lobby, and for nonstop shooting there's Asteroids. All with spectators, chat and arcade high scores.

FAQ