Chiller (video game)

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Chiller

Developer(s)	Exidy
Publisher(s)	Exidy
Release date(s)	1986
Genre(s)	Light-gun games
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Platform(s)	Arcade
Input	Light gun, 1 button
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade system(s)	Exidy 440 CPU:
Arcade display	Raster 320x240 resolution, Horizontal 256 colors

Chiller was an Exidy light gun arcade game released in 1986. An unlicensed port was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 by American Game Cartridges, with the option of using either the standard controller or the NES Zapper. Some consider Chiller to be the most gratuitously violent video game released to that point; so much so that it was banned in the UK

A player's goal is to shoot and kill everything that there is on the screen, both animated characters and inanimate elements of the background. There are four unique screens detailing various horror scenarios and settings. For each screen, shooting all available targets gives the player a bonus shooting round. It has very similar gameplay to "Crossbow" and other related Exidy 440 board system games.

Trivia:

During the development, the entire building was cursed by a plague of spiders that covered the exterior Windows. 'Very creepy.' Some say it was because of the demonic nature of the game while other say it was because Exidy didn't pay its exterminator bills.
Chiller's name was a not-so-veiled reference to Michael Jackson's Thriller video which was very popular at the time the game was made.
The MSX version featured a music theme that was inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller music track. Using an exact adaptation would be too costly.
This game features a Ghost counter on-screen scoring system named the "Ectoplasmic Tabulator"
Artwork was drawn using 4-position joysticks.