Q*bert () is a 1982 action video game developed and published by Gottlieb for arcades. It is a 2D action game with puzzle elements that uses isometric graphics to create a pseudo-3D effect. The objective of each level in the game is to change every cube in a pyramid to a target color by letting Q*bert, the on-screen character, hop on top of the cube while avoiding obstacles and enemies. Players use a joystick to control the character.
The game was conceived by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee, the latter of whom designed the titular protagonist and original concept, which was further developed and implemented by Davis. Q*bert was developed under the project name Cubes.
Q*bert was well-received in arcades and among critics. The game was Gottlieb's most successful video game and is among the most recognized brands from the golden age of arcade games. It has been ported to numerous platforms. The game's success resulted in sequels and the use of the character's likeness in merchandising, such as appearances on lunch boxes, toys, and an animated television show. The Q*bert character became known for his "swearing" and "Q*bertese sound" – an incoherent phrase made of synthesized speech generated by the sound chip and a speech balloon containing a grawlix that appears when he collides with an enemy.
Because the game was developed during the period when Columbia Pictures owned Gottlieb, the intellectual rights to Q*bert remained with Columbia, even after they divested themselves of Gottlieb's assets in 1984. Therefore, the rights have been owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment since its parent, Sony, acquired Columbia in 1989. Q*bert appeared in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph franchise, under license from Sony, and later appeared in 2015's Pixels.
Gameplay Q*bert is an action game with puzzle elements played from an axonometric third-person perspective to convey a three-dimensional look. The game is played using a single, diagonally mounted four-way joystick. The player controls Q*bert, who starts each game at the top of a pyramid made of 28 cubes, and moves by hopping diagonally from cube to cube. Landing on a cube causes it to change color, and changing every cube to the target color allows the player to progress to the next stage.
At the beginning, jumping on every cube once is enough to advance. In later stages, each cube must be hit twice to reach the target color. Other times, cubes change color every time Q*bert lands on them, instead of remaining on the target color once they reach it. Both elements are then combined in subsequent stages. Jumping off the pyramid results in the character's death.
The player is impeded by several enemies, introduced gradually to the game: Coily – Coily first appears as a purple egg that bounces to the bottom of the pyramid and then transforms into a snake that chases Q*bert. He is often considered the main antagonist and Q*bert's arch-nemesis. Q*bert will die if he collides with Coily. Ugg and Wrongway – Two purple creatures that fly or hop along the sides of the cubes in an Escheresque manner. Starting at either the bottom left or bottom right corner, they keep flying toward the top right or top left side of the pyramid respectively before leaving the pyramid by reaching the end. Both are dangerous. Q*bert will also die if he collides with them. Slick and Sam – Two green creatures that descend the pyramid and revert changed cubes to their original color, but do not harm Q*bert.
Contact with purple enemies results in a life lost, whereas the green ones are removed from the board upon contact. Colored balls occasionally appear at the second row of cubes and bounce downward; contact with a red ball also results in a life lost, while contact with a green one immobilizes the on-screen enemies for a limited time. Multicolored floating discs on either side of the pyramid serve as an escape from danger, particularly Coily. When Q*bert jumps on a disc, it transports him to the top of the pyramid. If Coily is in close pursuit of the character, he will jump after Q*bert and fall to his death, awarding bonus points and removing all enemies and balls (though they reappear after a few seconds).
Points are awarded for each color change (15 or 25), defeating Coily with a flying disc (500), remaining or unused discs at the end of a stage (at higher stages, 50 or 100) and catching either green balls (100) or Slick and Sam (300 each). Bonus points are also awarded for completing a screen, starting at 1,000 points on the first screen of Level 1 and increasing by 250 on each subsequent completion, up to 5,000 starting in Level 4. Extra lives are granted for reaching certain scores, which are set by the machine operator.
Development
Concept
Programmer Warren Davis wrote that he was inspired by a pattern of hexagons implemented by fellow Gottlieb developer and Mad Planets designer Kan Yabumoto.
In a different telling, the initial concept began when artist Jeff Lee drew a pyramid of cubes inspired by M. C. Escher. Lee believed a game could be derived from the artwork, and created an orange, armless main character. The character jumped along the cubes and shot projectiles, called "mucus bombs", from a tubular nose at enemies. Enemies included a blue creature, later changed purple and named Wrong Way, and an orange creature, later changed green and named Sam. Lee had drawn similar characters since childhood, inspired by characters from comics, cartoons, Mad magazine and by artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Q*bert's design later included a speech balloon with a string of nonsensical characters, "",The original artwork displays the first and fifth character as spirals. The at sign ("@") is used in its place in the text of the references. which Lee originally presented as a joke.
Implementation Warren Davis, who was hired to work on the game Protector, noticed Lee's ideas and asked if he could use them to practice programming randomness and gravity as game mechanics. Thus, he added balls that bounce from the pyramid's top to bottom. Because Davis was still learning how to program game mechanics, he wanted to keep the design simple. He also believed games with complex control schemes were frustrating and wanted something that could be played with one hand. To accomplish this, Davis removed the shooting and changed the objective of saving the protagonist from danger. As Davis worked on the game one night, Gottlieb's vice president of engineering, Ron Waxman, noticed him and suggested to change the color of the cubes after the game's character has landed on them. Davis implemented a unique control scheme; a four-way joystick was rotated 45° to match the directions of Q*bert's jumping. Staff members at Gottlieb urged for a more conventional orientation, but Davis stuck to his decision. Davis remembered to have started programming in April 1982, but the project was only put on the schedule as an actual product several months later.Davis stated that this happened "by June or July", whereas Howie Rubin, vice president of Gottlieb, claimed in an early 1983 interview with Video Games that the game was not yet on a list of games voted for in a brainstorming session in August.
Audio
A MOS Technology 6502 chip that operates at 894 kHz generates the sound effects, and a speech synthesizer by Votrax generates Q*bert's incoherent expressions. The audio system uses 128 B of RAM and 4 KB of EPROM to store the sound data and code to implement it. Like other Gottlieb games, the sound system was thoroughly tested to ensure it would handle daily usage. In retrospect, audio engineer David Thiel commented that such testing minimized time available for creative designing.
Thiel was tasked with using the synthesizer to produce English phrases for the game. However, he was unable to create coherent phrases and eventually chose to string together random phonemes instead. Thiel also believed the incoherent speech was a good fit for the "" in Q*bert's speech balloon. Following a suggestion from technician Rick Tighe, a pinball machine component known as a "knocker" was included to make a loud sound when a character falls off the pyramid. This knocker consists of a solenoid with a plunger that strikes the mounting bracket (which in turn is firmly fastened to the cabinet). Foam padding was added to the area of contact on the bracket; the developers decided the softer sound better matched a fall rather than a loud knocking sound. The cost of installing foam, however, was too expensive and the padding was omitted.
Title The Gottlieb staff had difficulty naming the game. Aside from the project name "Cubes", it was untitled for most of the development process. The staff agreed the game should be named after the main character, but disagreed on the name. Lee's title for the initial concept—Snots And Boogers—was rejected, as was a list of suggestions compiled from company employees. According to Davis, vice president of marketing Howie Rubin championed as the title. Although staff members argued it was silly and would be impossible to pronounce, a few early test models were produced with as the title on the units' artwork. During a meeting, "Hubert" was suggested, and a staff member thought of combining "Cubes" and "Hubert" into "Cubert". Art director Richard Tracy changed the name to "Q-bert", and the hyphen was later changed to an asterisk. In retrospect, Davis expressed regret for the asterisk, because it prevented the name from becoming a common crossword term and it is a wildcard character for search engines.
Testing As development neared the production stage, Q*bert underwent location tests in local arcades under its preliminary title , before being widely distributed. According to Jeff Lee, his oldest written record attesting to the game being playable as in a public location, a Brunswick bowling alley, dates back to September 11, 1982. Gottlieb also conducted focus groups, in which the designers observed players through a one-way mirror. The control scheme received a mixed reaction during playtesting; some players adapted quickly while others found it frustrating. Initially, Davis was worried players would not adjust to the different controls; some players would unintentionally jump off the pyramid several times, reaching a game over in about ten seconds. Players, however, became accustomed to the controls after playing several rounds of the game. The different responses to the controls prompted Davis to reduce the game's level of difficulty, a decision that he would later regret.
Release Q*bert is Gottlieb's fourth video game. A copyright claim registered with the United States Copyright Office by Gottlieb on February 10, 1983 cites the date of publication of Q*bert as October 18, 1982. Video Games reported that the game was sold directly to arcade operators at its public showing at the AMOA show held November 18–20, 1982. Gottlieb offered the machines for $2600 per unit.
Cash Box magazine listed the mass-market US release date as December 1982. The game was distributed in Japan by Konami and Sega in March 1983. It was also released in Europe in March 1983.
Reception Q*bert is Gottlieb's only video game that earned considerable critical and commercial success, selling around 25,000 arcade cabinets. In the United States, it was among the thirteen highest-grossing arcade games of 1983. A cocktail version of the game was later produced. These machines have since become collector's items.
When the game was first introduced to a wider industry audience at the November 1982 AMOA show, it was immediately received favorably by the press. Video Games magazine placed Q*bert first in its list of Top Ten Hits, describing it as "the most unusual and exciting game of the show" and stating that "no operator dared to walk away without buying at least one". The Coin Slot reported "Gottlieb's game, Q*BERT, was one of the stars of the show", and predicted that "The game should do very well".