Rally-X is a maze arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Pac-Man hardware, and was the first Namco game to feature "Special Flags", which would become a recurring object in later games (along with the Galaxian flagship). It was the first game to ever feature a "bonus round." The object is to "capture" all of the flags scattered in the field before the other racers hit you.
Description
In the game, the player controls a blue car through a maze. The car will automatically move in whichever direction the joystick is pushed, but if it hits a wall, it will turn and continue.
In each stage, ten flags are scattered around the maze. The player must collect all of them to clear the stage and move on. The flags increase in value as they are collected: the first is 100 points, second is 200, third is 300, and so on. There are also special flags—if the player collects one of them, the value earned from flags doubles for the rest of the round. If the player dies, however, the next flag value is set back to 100 and the double bonus is lost.
Several red cars patrol the maze, and contact with any of them results in death. The number of these cars begins at three and increases in number throughout each normal stage to eight. The first five appear at the bottom of the screen, and the next three will appear at the top of the screen. However, the player can use a smoke screen against the red cars. If a red car runs into a cloud of smokescreen, it will be momentarily stunned. The amount of time stunned decreases with each level, but will still always cause the red car to chase the blue car using an alternate route. Using the smokescreen uses a small amount of fuel.
The car has a limited amount of fuel which is consumed with time, though it is normally sufficient to last until all flags are cleared. When fuel runs out, the car moves very slowly and the smokescreen no longer works, so it very quickly falls victim to the red cars.
There are also stationary rocks that the player must avoid. The rocks are randomly distributed throughout the maze, increasing in number as levels are advanced.
On the third stage and every fourth stage after that, a bonus stage ("CHALLENGING STAGE") will start. The player must collect flags in the normal way, but the red cars (the maximum normal number of red cars, which is eight) are unable to move. If the player runs out of fuel, the red cars will start moving. If a player hits a red car after they start to move or if they hit a rock, the challenging stage ends, and the player loses a life.
The game features a distinctive and memorable[citation needed] soundtrack that plays throughout.
Ports
Rally-X was ported to the MSX home computer. It was also included in Namco Museum Volume 1 series of 1995, which was released for the PlayStation, and Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection in 2005.
Jakks Pacific ported Rally-X to its Namco Collection TV game, which also includes Dig Dug, Bosconian, Galaxian, and Pac-Man.
Two unlicensed ports exist for the Nintendo Entertainment System: one by Hwang Shinwei ("迷魂車/BB Car"), and another by Sachen ("Jovial Race").
Sequels
The game's sequel, New Rally-X, offers a slightly different color scheme and easier gameplay (the special flag now flashes on the radar). Also, a feature called the "Lucky Flag" was added, which awards the player bonus points for the amount of fuel remaining when touched, after which the game continues if there are more flags. New Rally-X was manufactured in greater numbers and became more popular (at least in Japan) than the original.
Namco Classics Collection Volume 2, released in 1996, includes a version of Rally-X with enhanced graphics and gameplay, Rally-X Arrangement. Namco Museum Remix, released on October 23, 2007 for the Wii, also features a revamped version of Rally-X called Rally-X Remix.
Radar Rat Race is a Rally-X clone for the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore 64 with a different theme: cars are replaced with mice, flags with cheese, boulders with cats, smokescreens with "star screens", and the soundtrack with "Three Blind Mice".
Trivia
In 1980 Defender, Pac-Man, and Battlezone were shown alongside Rally-X at a trade show sponsored by the Amusement Machine Operators of America. It was believed that Rally-X would be the top money-earner. Defender went on to sell more than 60,000 units—more than disproving these projections—and cemented its place in video game history.[1]
In Rally-X Remix, you can get the option to play as the red car and crash into Pac-Man. To unlock it, known as "Red mode", you must beat all 4 worlds.
References
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