Innovation of the Week (Part 1): The Boost Pad/Zipper

by alianger

While researching various video game firsts, I sometimes became frustrated with incorrect, lacking or scattered info online. First power-up? No, not Pac-Man. First easter egg? No, not Adventure. And so on. What's more, sometimes the correct info isn't even that hard to find if you just look past the first google search or AI chat result. Hence this blog series, which will highlight innovations in games, attempting to trace the first example of each one as well as mention some later notable examples (note that here on Giant Bomb, a bunch of them have their own page with a list of games).

This week, let's talk about one that makes players scream with excitement and which has become a staple in the racing genre: the boost pad, also known as the zipper. Boost pads serve as a temporary boost in speed and momentum in games. They're not just about going faster though; they can add an extra layer of strategy and skill to gameplay as in most games players can place traps ahead of them and they also have to enter them at the right angle to make the best use of the boost.

While some earlier games had temporary speed boosters (Bubble Bobble) or spring pads (Metro Cross), it seems the first game to use boost pads as we know them now was Rare's RC Pro-Am for the NES in 1988. This was a popular isometric racing game in which a player could move over them for a dramatic boost in speed. They might've been inspired by the "cooling pads" from Excitebike, which are moved over to avoid engine overheating.

Some notable later examples:

STUN Runner (1989)

Super Mario Kart (1992)

Rock 'n Roll Racing (1993)

Sonic Advance (2001)

More: https://www.giantbomb.com/boost-pad/3055-2118/games/

Any thoughts on the boost pad? Which game that uses them is your favorite?