Berzerk
1980 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Berzerk (1980) is Stern's maze shooter: blast talking robots room by room, and keep moving before the unkillable Evil Otto bounces in.
Deep Dive
Designed by Alan McNeil, Berzerk sends the player through a maze of electrified rooms full of robots to shoot, escaping through an exit before time runs out. Linger too long and Evil Otto — an indestructible bouncing smiley face that passes straight through walls — arrives to force you out. The robots taunt the player in synthesised speech ('Intruder alert!', 'Chicken, fight like a robot!'), making Berzerk one of the first arcade games to talk.
Developer Story
Berzerk was designed by Alan McNeil at Stern Electronics and released in 1980. It was one of the first arcade games to feature synthesised speech — the robots taunted players with lines like "Intruder alert!" and "The humanoid must not escape!" McNeil claimed the game's concept came from a dream. Evil Otto, the indestructible smiley-face that chased players regardless of walls, remains one of gaming's most memorable antagonists.
Did You Know?
- Berzerk was one of the first arcade games to use synthesised speech — the robots delivered voiced taunts including "Intruder alert!" and "Chicken! Fight like a robot!"
- Evil Otto, the bouncing smiley face, could pass through walls and was completely indestructible — the only escape was to leave the room.
- Two players are reported to have died of heart attacks shortly after playing Berzerk, in 1981 and 1982 — often cited as the first deaths linked to a video game.
- McNeil said the game's concept came directly from a dream he had — he sketched it out and pitched it to Stern the following morning.
- Evil Otto was named after a real person, Dave Otto.
Sources & further reading
- Berzerk (video game) — Wikipedia
