Crossbow Arcade Game – Protect Your Team or Die Trying!
1🕹 Game Name: Crossbow
📛 Alternate Names: Crossbow Arcade
📅 Release Date: 1983
🔫 Genre: Light Gun Shooter
👨 🏻 💻 Developers: Exidy
👨 🏻 💻 Publishers: Exidy
🔢 Max Players: 2 (alternating turns)
⁉ Cooperative: No
🕹 Game Introduction:
Crossbow was Exidy’s ambitious entry into the interactive shooter genre, offering players a fantasy setting where survival relied on aim, speed, and protecting allies at all costs.
🕹 Game Description:
Players wield a light gun to defend a party of adventurers on their journey across dangerous lands. From zombies to lava pits, you must shoot threats before they reach your team.
🎴 Game Play:
👉 🏻 Use a mounted crossbow light gun to aim at enemies on-screen.
👉 🏻 Protect your adventurers—they die if hit once.
👉 🏻 You don’t shoot enemies only—you also shoot objects like traps.
👉 🏻 Players choose which path the team takes (forest, desert, volcano, etc.).
👉 🏻 Final battle against the Evil Master in his castle.
👉 🏻 The game ends if all your adventurers are killed.
👉 🏻 Quick reflexes and accuracy are essential.
📕 Background & History:
Exidy developed Crossbow during the arcade golden age, blending shooting with story-driven progression. It was among the first games to use digitized speech and had an immersive medieval setting, rare for shooters at the time.
🐣 Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs:
👉 🏻 Certain cabinets allow for credit stacking through timing glitches.
👉 🏻 The game says “You must protect me!” if you shoot a teammate.
👉 🏻 Hidden targets in the sky bonus stages give extra points.
👉 🏻 Lava splash can be stopped by shooting the edges early.
🐱 💻 Hacks:
👉 🏻 Emulator versions allow infinite lives or invincibility.
👉 🏻 Custom light gun calibration improves hit detection.
👉 🏻 Some ROMs allow free play mode for home use cabinets.
🎉 Trivia:
👉 🏻 One of the first games with full digitized voice samples.
👉 🏻 Followed by sequels like Cheyenne, Chiller, and Combat.
👉 🏻 Was known for its brutal difficulty—one shot kills.
👉 🏻 Used color-coded enemies with unique movement patterns.
👉 🏻 Crossbow cabinets were huge and eye-catching in arcades.
👓 Lonster's Review:
Crossbow is pure arcade tension—protecting others instead of just yourself adds a new layer of panic. Each level is unique and relentless, and that light gun? It’s your only hope. Love the concept, love the stress.
🌟 Legacy:
Though not as widely remembered as other shooters, Crossbow paved the way for story-driven arcade gun games. Its fantasy setting and party protection mechanic were early innovators in the genre.
✨ Cultural Impact:
Crossbow influenced future rail shooters and inspired home console titles with a focus on protecting AI characters. It’s a cult classic and beloved by Exidy fans.
💭 Lonster's Final Thoughts:
Crossbow is a forgotten gem. It’s not just about aim—it’s about responsibility. Protect your people, think fast, and stay cool. More emotional than you'd expect from a game about shooting things!
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