Elite
Rating: 78.5
Acorn Electron Amiga CPC AppleII ST BBC C64 DOS MSX NES ZX

Elite

Released: Sep 20, 1984
Series:
Elite
Genres:
Open World
Themes:
Science fiction
Perspectives:
First person
Game Modes:
Single player
Description from IGDB IGDB

Elite is a space trading video game, written and developed by David Braben and Ian Bell and originally published by Acornsoft for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in September 1984. Elite's open-ended game model, and revolutionary 3D graphics led to it being ported to virtually every contemporary home computer system, and earned it a place as a classic and a genre maker in gaming history. The game's title derives from one of the player's goals of raising their combat rating to the exalted heights of "Elite". Elite was one of the first home computer games to use wire-frame 3D graphics with hidden line removal. It added graphics and twitch gameplay aspects to the genre established by the 1974 game Star Trader. Another novelty was the inclusion of The Dark Wheel, a novella by Robert Holdstock which gave players insight into the moral and legal codes to which they might aspire.

Storyline IGDB

The Avalonia, a trading ship, departs from Lave. Young Alex Ryder longs to visit the planet, but his father Jason, a seasoned trader, reminds him of the strict regulations. The Ryder family has a long history in trading, but Alex is still uncertain about his future, torn between adventure and stability. As the ship prepares for hyperspace, a heavily armed Cobra-class freighter follows them unnoticed. The Avalonia jumps into Witch-Space, a mysterious and dangerous realm, but Jason soon realizes they are being pursued. Emerging near Leesti, they are attacked. With the ship doomed, Jason forces Alex into an escape pod, uttering the cryptic word “Raxxla” before the Avalonia is destroyed. The Cobra fires on the escape pod, leaving Alex drifting toward the planet below. Alex survives the destruction of the Avalonia thanks to his RemLok mask, which shields him and sends a distress signal. Rescued by a hospital vessel, he vows to avenge his father's death who seemed to have anticipated the attack. Later, Alex receives a mysterious HoloFac message from Rafe Zetter, an old associate of his father. Rafe reveals to a surprised Alex that his father was more than a trader—he was an élite combateer. When Alex mentions "Raxxla," Rafe explains it’s a legendary ghost planet, suggesting Jason’s death is tied to a greater mystery. Before disappearing, Rafe instructs Alex to visit the grave of Starpilot Fleischer in Tionisla’s orbital cemetery for vital information. Alex arrives at the eerie, massive, orbital graveyard at Tionisla. Following Rafe Zetter’s instructions he searches for the grave of Starpilot Fleischer and discovers a battered Cobra-class ship with a blinking signal directing him to land. Inside the Cobra, he only finds a corpse at the controls, and a woman named Elyssia Fields. A sharp-witted fugitive from the clone-world Teorge, Elyssia reveals their plan—to steal the abandoned ship, once owned by Henry Bell, and use it to start a trading career while secretly preparing for revenge against the Cobra that killed Alex’s father. With minimal fuel and weak defenses, they must trade and upgrade their ship before taking on their enemy. Alex Ryder, now in possession of a ship and with Rafe Zetter's guidance, is preparing for a dangerous journey to avenge his father's death. Rafe explains that Alex's father, Jason, was part of the legendary Dark Wheel, a secret group searching for hidden truths in the universe. Jason's death wasn’t caused by pirates but by someone trying to protect a secret he discovered. To uncover this secret and follow in his father's footsteps, Alex must reach elite combat status, which involves seeking out danger and bounty hunting. Despite the shock, Alex is determined to honor his father's legacy. In the meantime, during various skirmishes Alex’s skill in combat becomes evident. Over three months of trading aboard their modified Cobra Nemesis, Alex and Elyssia work toward transforming their ship into a battle-ready vessel but remain low on funds. Weighing risky trade options, they are interrupted by a cryptic message from Patrick McGreavy. McGreavy, horribly disfigured by parasites, with a shady past, warns Alex that he is being watched and manipulated, even by Rafe Zetter. He urges Alex to visit the traders' center in South City on Coriolis station. Entering the seedy underworld of illicit trade, Alex meets McGreavy at the Magellan Building, where he is offered a deal to trade rare creatures called Mymurths, revered by the Ciragian people. With limited funds, Alex purchases them, hoping to sell them for a significant profit—money that will bring him one step closer to arming the Nemesis for his ultimate mission: vengeance. As Alex and Elyssia approach Cirag, an unregistered and dangerous planet tied to Alex’s father’s past, they find it swarming with criminals. They are ambushed by pirate ships. In the ensuing battle, Elyssia skillfully evades and destroys several fighters. Pursued relentlessly, Elyssia is injured, leaving Alex to take control. They manage to escape to a Coriolis station, only to discover a disturbing truth—the Mymurths they’ve been transporting are infected with Tharglets, the deadly larval form of the infamous Thargoids. Realizing they’ve been set up and that their cargo is more dangerous than they imagined, Alex’s mission takes on a new urgency. In the heat of battle, Alex finally faces the Cobra that destroyed his father’s ship. Driven by revenge, he engages in a desperate dogfight but soon realizes the Nemesis is outmatched. Using the sun’s radiation to his advantage, he fires a missile cloaked by solar interference, striking the Cobra and destroying it in a fiery explosion. After his victory over the Cobra and the pirates, Alex Ryder gains recognition from the Galactic Police, earning the prestigious Deadly status—an impressive feat for someone of his age. Rafe Zetter reappears, revealing more about Jason Ryder’s connection to Raxxla—a legendary, possibly alien gateway sought by the secretive Dark Wheel. Jason had been close to uncovering its secrets before his assassination. Rafe warns that those who control Raxxla will go to any lengths to protect it, making Alex a target if he continues his pursuit. Rafe offers Alex a place within the Dark Wheel, a path requiring years of training and sacrifice but one that could lead to unimaginable discoveries.

Basic Info
Release Date: September 20, 1984
IGDB Rating: 78.5/100 (35)
Rating Count: 35
IGDB ID: 2951
Additional Information
IGDB Rating: 78.5/100 (35 votes)
Release Date: September 20, 1984
IGDB ID: 2951
Series: Elite
Платформы 12
Acorn
Electron
Amiga
CPC
AppleII
ST
BBC
C64
DOS
MSX
NES
ZX
Genres 1
Open World
Themes 1
Science fiction
Player Perspectives 1
First person
Game Modes 1
Single player
Developers
Acornsoft

No description available

David Braben

No description available

Frontier Developments

No description available

Ian Bell

No description available

Publishers
Acornsoft

No description available

Digital Integration

No description available

Firebird

No description available

Hybrid Technology

No description available

Imagineer

No description available

Merlin Software U.K.

No description available

Keywords
game 38048 be 24685 world 21802 video 18734 player 17513 develop 17064 new 16891 use 15100 adventure 14593 make 14384 take 14371 battle 13420 publish 13338 find 12717 enemy 12654 set 12525 own 11404 out 10969 system 10915 combat 10402 build 9952 skill 9888 become 9243 control 8462 follow 8376 go 7710 against 7506 place 7453 even 7236 journey 7086 discover 7020 year 6795 attack 6701 various 6407 secret 6119 start 6004 face 5920 bring 5858 land 5816 upgrade 5814 dark 5689 name 5584 work 5542 give 5523 survive 5386 lead 5334 people 5301 force 5284 long 5276 city 5126 hide 5103 mysterious 5064 great 5034 call 4960 try 4901 part 4896 late 4742 meet 4550 creature 4539 leave 4474 gain 4471 classic 4400 uncover 4344 path 4283 mission 4259 offer 4231 add 4173 home 4136 mystery 4022 title 3980 form 3853 search 3645 class 3554 drive 3489 group 3460 death 3432 old 3418 young 3362 destroy 3359 engage 3347 earn 3324 option 3294 plan 3270 future 3254 space 3185 graphic 3143 kill 3118 write 3097 manage 3090 several 3090 computer 3048 enter 3040 reach 2990 limit 2924 star 2849 dangerous 2814 require 2775 3d 2767 escape 2755 goal 2685 universe 2677 port 2591 genre 2568 step 2562 ultimate 2561 ready 2505 seek 2501 hunt 2497 close 2481 realm 2471 history 2451 train 2431 fire 2425 trade 2411 legendary 2396 truth 2395 receive 2372 originally 2347 protect 2311 danger 2258 continue 2247 line 2225 purchase 2223 prepare 2206 direct 2165 send 2134 determine 2125 cause 2114 deal 2101 age 2098 deadly 2087 family 2045 planet 2018 defense 2017 victory 2015 remain 2001 sell 1914 watch 1817 involve 1790 september 1770 reveal 1757 visit 1752 rare 1723 massive 1716 money 1707 ship 1703 raise 1699 jump 1656 strike 1655 advantage 1541 center 1529 field 1520 alien 1514 seem 1511 season 1505 soon 1497 word 1492 arm 1470 finally 1436 rescue 1385 steal 1379 information 1343 approach 1337 low 1312 transform 1283 thank 1226 woman 1226 destruction 1224 target 1214 surprise 1167 shield 1157 risk 1149 fighter 1142 abandon 1115 arrive 1055 tear 1038 father 998 establish 960 ghost 948 discovery 943 witch 939 aspect 932 station 904 maker 903 emerge 899 model 895 someone 879 pirate 868 imagine 866 elite 864 revenge 828 fuel 819 sun 795 legacy 786 status 771 hop 747 significant 746 code 735 month 735 realize 730 connection 725 south 709 sacrifice 705 disappear 692 modify 682 transport 661 warn 648 heavily 641 rat 633 weak 629 pursue 617 manipulate 605 despite 603 doom 600 police 594 criminal 586 career 566 desperate 562 tie 547 underworld 543 honor 542 message 475 profit 460 bounty 424 evade 417 height 412 david 408 frame 408 fund 407 sharp 394 mask 392 swarm 386 heat 376 moral 376 pursuit 371 shock 357 associate 354 length 352 vengeance 348 vital 348 infect 347 mention 343 anticipate 340 solar 338 eerie 333 ambush 322 vessel 310 skirmish 305 explosion 300 possibly 288 wheel 287 clone 283 galactic 283 open-end 283 trader 278 robert 274 aboard 264 explain 258 grave 257 revolutionary 254 guidance 251 insight 246 missile 244 cod 242 instruction 235 infamous 227 hospital 225 disturb 221 possession 217 drift 206 impressive 205 suggest 201 aspire 200 corpse 198 signal 198 derive 194 feat 194 cargo 182 micro 174 secretly 174 contemporary 169 fiery 167 vow 167 recognition 166 twitch 166 assassination 165 bell 161 injure 161 cryptic 160 prestigious 160 interrupt 159 avenge 153 legal 149 shady 147 footstep 141 radiation 141 nemesis 140 minimal 139 stability 138 depart 137 risky 132 cloak 127 graveyard 125 unimaginable 124 virtually 123 ensue 114 distress 109 strict 106 remind 104 wire 104 weigh 100 gateway 97 uncertain 94 pod 92 jason 91 relentlessly 88 reappear 87 urge 85 henry 81 utter 81 orbital 80 skillfully 79 revere 73 blink 72 instruct 70 parasite 68 batter 66 inclusion 65 secretive 65 cemetery 64 patrick 60 freighter 54 horribly 49 meantime 48 novella 47 seedy 44 fugitive 40 acorn 39 unnoticed 38 dogfight 37 regulation 37 bounty hunt 36 removal 33 urgency 32 disfigure 31 interference 28 illicit 27 exalt 25 novelty 22 evident 20 electron 19 outmatch 17 cobra 15 magellan 9