Space Ace

Devin can't move on his own. I see an object I should reach, but I can't get there — I have to jump at exactly the right moment, or I'll take a hit from some robot or fall into a chasm. Space Ace is a game that strips you of control and forces you to react to sequences like a taxi driver on the day the brakes failed.

It's an action adventure from 1989 by Baudena, where I play a young hero named Devin. A space ship is attacked by a villain named Borf and I'm trying to defend it. The problem: the game barely lets me defend it. Movement across the screen is fixed, I'm like I'm on wheels. I can only jump and dodge according to what the game allows.

So when danger comes, I have to pick the right direction and the right time. I press a direction, and either I jump exactly where it's safe, or I go flying to crash into a wall or an enemy. This game isn't invented by the computer — it's invented by an animator. It's more of a movie than a game, where I'm just someone pressing buttons at the precise moment. Wait, jump, dodge, wait, jump, stay put.

The graphics are beautiful — the animations remind me of Tron from the mid-eighties, the characters have shape and stylized movement. The sound is simple but effective. I played this game as a kid, and I remember struggling over exactly when to press the button to make it work. Today I see it's a game that animators wanted to make, and that sealed its fate — the mechanics are static, boring after the fifth attempt at the same spot.

When you play it today in a browser, it's more of a memory of the time when computer games tried to copy movies. Space Ace isn't bad — it's just very specific and tedious for today's player. But that feeling from the eighties? Like someone played retro science-fiction on my monitor and said: "You can press one button. Choose wisely."