1980s
Berzerk
1980 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Berzerk is a classic 1980s shooter game developed by Alan McNeil for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Berzerk is a classic 1980s shooter game developed by Alan McNeil for Arcade.
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 died of heart attacks after achieving high scores on Berzerk machines in 1981, making it the first game allegedly linked to player deaths.
- 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 Dave Otto, Stern's quality assurance head — a joke that Otto apparently did not find funny.
