Impossible Mission, a title that Epyx made popular in the mid 80’s, was iconic on computers. There were two console ports, neither were on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), they were on the Atari 7800 and Sega Master System. A rarity in the day but the sequel did hit the NES and not the other two platforms. Interestingly, this is the first time that Impossible Mission will appear on an Epyx developed piece of hardware, the Atari Lynx.
This port by YouTube user, Nop90 Nop90, is impressive already. It just looks and sounds like it fits the hardware platform so well. Fitting too considering Epyx created the Lynx before Atari took over production and release of the hardware.
I have absolutely no clue why Impossible Mission did not get released on the Atari Lynx.
For the time, I remember IM being a very, very, popular game and it could have only been a feather in Atari’s cap to have this game on the go. It would have been another reason for me to want a Lynx more.
The blocky graphics and wide screen of the Lynx work with Impossible Mission so well. It is quite impressive seeing what an independent homebrew developer has been able to accomplish here.
Impossible Mission is one of those hard to learn games as it is so different than, well, anything else. In most 2D action games the background serves one purpose, to project progress. In Impossible Mission, the background is integral to your success, or failure, in the game.
Desks, filing cabinets, computers, etc are all there for you to interact with. You MUST interact with them to find not only clues but to turn on/off robots and lifts in the level. It is such an interesting evolution to the genre that seemingly fell on deaf ears with other developers.
Imagine playing Super Mario Bros and having to stop every so often and search a random bush for mushrooms or other powerups. It would add quite a bit of depth to the adventure, it would probably slow that game down too much for Nintendo’s tastes. If you play Fortnite though, you probably know searching bushes is a necessity.
Head over to YouTube and follow the creator and catch updates as they release.
