Released in 1983 in North America, 3D Crazy Coaster offers an immersive roller coaster experience, naturally presented in first-person view. You’re seated in the front car and must survive a wild ride while racking up as many points as possible.
This title was specifically designed for the 3D Imager, a cutting-edge accessory that adds depth and color to the console’s vector graphics… The result? A game that focuses entirely on sensation, delivering a dizzying level of immersion.
3D Crazy Coaster
Developer : GCE (General Consumer Electronics)
Year: 1983
Genre: Vehicle Simulation
Modes: Single-player (requires the 3D Imager)
A First-Person Experience
You play as the passenger in the lead car, speeding along a vertiginous track. The environment rushes by in a first-person view, enhancing the feeling of speed and movement. You’ll need to lean into turns, duck to avoid obstacles, raise your arms to score points, all without getting thrown from the car. The goal is to stay in the car as long as possible. Thanks to the 3D Imager, the illusion of speed and falling is amplified with curves that gain real depth.
Adrenaline and Reflexes
Tension is constant. The faster you go, the higher your score climbs, especially when your points double as you raise your arms! Before long, the game introduces tight turns, obstacles to dodge, precise timing for ducking or lifting your arms, and steep drops where you must cling to the safety bar.
If you fail to avoid a bird, it takes you out. If you take an ice cream to the face, your vision is blurred for a few seconds. If you miss a turn, you’re instantly ejected. Every lost passenger (you have four per game) costs precious seconds and restarts you at the exact spot where you fell.
The gameplay becomes a constant balancing act: play it safe or take risks to boost your score?
A Single, Memorable Track
The game features a track composed of eight well-defined turns. Once completed, it loops endlessly, allowing players to memorize the hazards and optimize their score by keeping their arms raised at the right moments after a few playthroughs. Thankfully, finishing the circuit doesn’t end the game, it only stops once all four passengers have been eliminated.
A Vector-Based Roller Coaster
Programmed by Bill Hawkins (also known for the highly regarded 3D Mine Storm), 3D Crazy Coaster makes smart use of the Vectrex’s capabilities, especially with the 3D Imager.
The graphics are minimalistic (no mountains in the background or winding rails as advertised on the box) but the sensation of speed and depth works very well. Obstacles appear suddenly, turns come fast, and you’re literally thrown from side to side. Watching the track unfold in perspective, with dynamic colors perfectly synced to the optical wheel, creates an impressively convincing illusion. Your passenger’s screams and the sound of sharp turns add to a fun and well-balanced audio atmosphere.
What Stands Out
✅ Strengths :
- An immersive, first-person experience.
- Impressive use of the 3D Imager.
- Unique, reflex-based gameplay involving the passenger’s body positioning.
❌ Weaknesses :
- Only one track, which is quickly memorized.
- Slightly long wait times between lives.
A Game That Shakes You Up
3D Crazy Coaster is like a mini interactive ride, an exercise in reflexes and risk-taking, where you juggle between caution and ambition. With its single track and simple mechanics, it remains a rare gem that’s unlike anything else on the Vectrex. And above all, 3D Crazy Coaster lets you experience the Vectrex in a whole new way, not just through a screen, but through the swirling colors of the 3D Imager.
For more, check out this fan video on YouTube :
