Space Mouse: 35th Anniversary Edition (PC) Review

Back in the year 1979, the PC-8001 hit the Japanese computer market. This PC had 16 kilobytes of RAM, was capable of displaying a whopping eight colours, and…well…it's a product of a different era. A lot of what's taken for granted today just wasn't possible back then, or so it was thought. On its release in 1981, Space Mouse became one of the first examples of vertical scrolling in a computer game. It certainly doesn't hurt that it's pretty good, as well.

On the surface, it seems to be really shallow. Alice is controlled via three arrow keys. That's right, three. She can't move down. In a way, every floor she climbs is a commitment. If she misses something useful, such as a key or a 1-up, then that's too bad. The fiendish mice are incapable of moving up. Instead, they move across the floor, and then downwards whenever there's a hole present. The only time these bad rats change directions is if they come in contact with a wall, each other, or a power-up coin. Whenever Alice grabs one of those coins, she gains temporary invulnerability, which allows her to punch mice into oblivion, as well as break through ceilings.

What makes this game so engaging is that it combines its outward simplicity with many layers of depth. The goal is to reach the top, but Alice is continually impeded. Whenever she moves upward, not only does she have to account for where's she standing, but she also has to watch the vermin. Their pattern is easy to understand, but the layout has a massive effect on where they go. If she's not paying attention, Alice can get trapped in a corridor and devoured. It's important to determine which spots are safe. Being able to move cautiously without wasting time is essential, as well. Aside from the ever-depleting supply of air, the building will become more and more infested as time passes. Eventually the number of mice will leave little to no opportunities to progress, and that's when despair sets in.

Sanctuary, as temporary as it is, comes in the form of power-up coins. Unlike most games, invincibility time can be stacked by continuing to grab coins. Some players will use this chance to quickly scamper up the skyscraper, while others will pound on rodents to add to the score. Defeating multiple enemies in a sequence is worth bonus points. However, it is possible to get a little overzealous, move up several floors, but then get trapped in a corridor when time runs out. What normally looks inconsequential can turn out to be really devious, so staying focused is paramount to staying alive.

This classic game has been ported to various platforms, but the star of this collection is the "NES Arrange" version. Newly designed to coincide with the game's 35th Anniversary, it has nice graphics, a great soundtrack, and various other changes. The most dramatic of them is the new levels. While dealing with the always problematic mice, Alice will also have to contend with unbreakable ceilings, exceptionally diverse layouts, and other strange occurrences. The scoring system has also seen a few revamps and is a little more balanced, which helps dissuade players from trying to farm mice for an abundance of points. Each version of Space Mouse has leaderboards, which further incentivises everyone to learn its numerous intricacies.

Still, it's fair to say that this is the sort of game that won't appeal to everyone. The controls can take a little while to get used to, especially due to Alice's inability to move down. There's no story or ending to play for, even in the "NES Arrange" version. It's the type of game that won't immediately click for some people, unlike say… Pac-Man or Tetris. There is a comparable level of depth, but it does involve grasping the mechanics of the mice, and how the level layouts can affect their movement.