Raid on Bungeling Bay was the first video game designed by Will Wright. It was published by Brøderbund for the Commodore 64 in 1984 and the NES and MSX computers in 1985.

Apart from offering a 2D overhead view of terrain which was a bit more complex than in other games, Raid on Bungeling Bay was basically a simple war zone shoot-em-up. The player controlled a helicopter that launches from an aircraft carrier to bomb six factories scattered across islands on a small planetoid occupied by the Bungeling Empire (the usual villians in Brøderbund games), while fending off escalating counterattacks by gun turrets, fighter jets, guided missiles, and a battleship.

Wright said that he enjoyed himself so much in using his level editor to create terrain for Bungeling Bay that he conceived of a game where the player could create and simulate traffic and cityscapes. This game was SimCity, which would become a major hit and spawn a long line of sequels, earning Wright major recognition as a game designer and programmer. Still enthralled with simulation and world building Wright would cement his reputation on the field by designing The Sims, the best selling PC game in history.

External links

• MobyGames's entry on Raid on Bungeling Bay
• Review at The Good Old Days
• Profile at Video Game Rebirth (includes original promotional text)

1984 computer and video games | Commodore 64 games | NES games | Shoot 'em ups | Brøderbund games

Raid on Bungeling Bay | バンゲリングベイ