In Stern’s 1980 arcade game Berzerk, the relentlessly pursuing smiling robot is named Evil Otto.
Evil Otto appears after a period of play and chases the player through the maze, making Berzerk’s otherwise room-by-room shooting action more urgent. His bouncing movement and grinning face became the game’s most recognizable visual feature.
The game was designed by Alan McNeil and released by Stern Electronics in 1980. It is also notable for synthesized speech, including the phrases “Get the humanoid!” and “Intruder alert!”
Evil Otto is sometimes confused with the game’s ordinary robot enemies, but those enemies are separate threats. Otto is the special pursuer who can pass through the maze and force the player to leave quickly.