This game was originally created by Kevin Bales around 1984. The premise is that you are Janitor Joe, who must escape from a NASA space station by collection keys. Originally released via BBS the game had just 5 levels, each of which required a different tactic to successfully collect all the keys in the level. The graphics are highly old school retro, of the sort commonly found pre-Micro Man.
Although the game has limited colors, it was designed and coded in only around 5 days.
This game was originally created by Kevin Bales around 1984. The premise is that you are Janitor Joe, who must escape from a NASA space station by collection keys. Originally released via BBS the game had just 5 levels, each of which required a different tactic to successfully collect all the keys in the level. The graphics are highly old school retro, of the sort commonly found pre-Micro Man.
Although the game has limited colors, it was designed and coded in only around 5 days. As such its colors are easily simplified for viewing on older monochrome screens. Often the solution to obtaining a particular key is found by way of experimentation. Dangers to the player include a limited oxygen supply. (You are on a space station,
remember?) And you’re moving robots commonly on their own set movement paths.
Beware, when the player is nearby they will actively follow and attempt to kill the player. Falling large distances results in the player character being squished, resulting in death. Stop Reading here if you don't want to know the various movement quirks. Each level adds a progressively more interesting way to aid Janitor Joe to reach the keys in the level. Such contrivances include slides, which Janitor Joe can use to quickly escape robots.
Elevators carry Joe to a higher platform. Ladders on which he can stop in the middle so long as his feet don't touch the robot's head and he doesn't get zapped. Around level 4 there are invisible ladders which are necessary to reach particularly hard to get keys. Level 5 adds moving platforms to the mix, allowing the player to pit his movement skills against an increasing number of semi-intelligent robots bent on killing him.
While this game may seem simplistic, it was also one of the most widely circulated games of the time period. When asked why he hadn't made a for-pay version of the game, the creator responded that the game was more of experimentation than anything else. This game can be downloaded easily in a number of places including Abandon Ware online. This game is highly popular in gaming circles.
