Dead Angle
A 1988 arcade shooting gallery with over-the-shoulder action.
Dead Angle is a 1988 shooting gallery arcade game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and published by Tecmo. It serves as a follow-up to Empire City: 1931 and features a protagonist rescuing his girlfriend from a mob boss. A port was released for the Master System by Sega, and Hamster Corporation brought it to modern platforms in 2024 as part of their Arcade Archives series.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Seibu Kaihatsu
- Publisher
- Tecmo (JP); Fabtek (NA)
- Released
- May 1988 (WW)
- Genre
- Shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Arcade, Master System
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players move a crosshair with a joystick to shoot enemies, now with an on-screen silhouette of the player character shown from an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to arcade boxing games. The silhouette turns red when in the line of fire and accumulates bullet holes when hit. A duck button provides brief invulnerability. Starting with a pistol, players can acquire a tommy gun, shotgun, or grenades. Many background objects can be damaged or destroyed. Levels are time-limited and progress from Italy to New York City, Kansas, then Chicago, requiring elimination of a set number of mobsters before facing a boss. The final boss must be hit with one precise shot while using a hostage as a shield. The Master System port removes the Kansas stage, the shotgun, grenades, and the ability to damage background objects.
Reception
Game Machine listed Dead Angle as the fifth most-successful table arcade unit in Japan in August 1988. Seamus St. John praised its graphics and animation in Computer and Video Games, comparing it favorably to Operation Wolf. Advanced Computer Entertainment highlighted its fast-paced gameplay, and Your Sinclair gave a largely positive review while criticizing the heads-up display. Sinclair User rated it 8 out of 10, calling it an atmospheric shoot-the-target game with enough variation. The Master System port was faulted for jerky scrolling in Computer and Video Games, with Paul Rand giving it 68% due to slow movement. However, later Computer and Video Games guides rated it 83%, calling it an Operation Wolf-style conversion with strong graphics and gameplay.
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