Lode Runner
Lode Runner is an action puzzle game that requires you to get the gold and get the heck out of each of 50 levels. You play as a little dude who can dig holes. Later in the game, trickier levels will force you to dig holes to get at some of the gold, but most of your holes will be dug to trap the guards that chase you, attempting to prevent you from stacking a grip. While the game is primarily remembered as a classic game for the Apple II and other computers of the '80s, a version was also released on video gaming consoles.
In Lode Runner, your little dude can't jump, he can only dig. The two buttons of the NES are used to dig to your left or your right. While most levels are made up of blocks you can dig through, which unhelpfully fill up automatically after a few seconds, you'll also find solid blocks you can't dig through, trapdoor blocks that you'll fall through, ladders, and more. All the while, you'll have three fairly dumb guards on your tail. Their programming is extremely simple; they just run in what they think is the shortest possible line to get you. But because you're constantly scampering around the level, that line changes, so the guards often change direction, hang out on ladders, and generally act stupid. One at a time, they're not hard to deal with because you can just dig a hole, and they'll walk right into it. But if they close in on you, getting away can get a little tough on the later levels.
But it's the levels themselves that give Lode Runner much of its difficulty. At the onset, you won't have to think very much to succeed. But later, you'll start encountering layers and layers of blocks you can dig through, with a piece of gold tucked away at the bottom. Because you can't dig out the block directly underneath you, you have to make sure you have at least one block to stand on and another to dig through. When you're trying to dig down through four or more layers, it gets tough because the blocks you've dug through unhelpfully fill up automatically after a few seconds.
Graphically, the NES version of Lode Runner takes a brighter, more cartoonlike approach to things than the old computer versions. Overall, it looks OK, but as a very early NES release, you're definitely not going to be blown away by its technical prowess. It's the same deal with the sound, which is passable, but not especially catchy or interesting.
Lode Runner's simple gameplay is part of what makes it so addictive and exciting--even today. Mind-teasing never goes out of style, and the fast-paced digging puzzles you'll face in Lode Runner make it one of the better Virtual Console releases, even if it's not as good as the original computer versions of the game. If any of this sounds remotely exciting, you may want to give Lode Runner a try.
| | Lode Runner: The Legend Returns PC CD find underground treasures arcade game! $26.99 |
| | Lode Runner Legend Returns + Manual MAC arcade game BOX $64.99 |
| | Lode Runner 2 PC CD classic puzzle arcade games returns $7.64 |
| | LODE RUNNER THE LEGEND RETURNS +1Click XP Vista Windows 7 Install $49.95 |
| | 100 Great Games for Palm OS CD robust blackjack euchre lode runner pinball games $5.94 |
| | Lode Runner 2 MAC CD classic collect gold puzzle adventure arcade game sequel $22.99 |
| | Lode Runner: The Mad Monks' Revenge PC CD updated game! $52.99 |
| | To Be Free $2.97 ... |
| | Championship Lode Runner ... |
| | Lode Runner: The Mad Monks' Revenge ... |
| | Lode Runner: Official Players Guide $18.95 ... |
| | Lode Runner Strategies And Secrets - Book: Lode Runner Strats & Secrets Book S ... |
| | Lode Runner: Legend Returns $24.00 A resurrection of the original classic platform game, this time with one and two players game with detailed graphics, character moves, level editor and music with sound effects. Beside you run from some red-toga creatures that eat you (like in "Beast Master" movie) if they catch you, you have a few things on your hand to use, small bombs, big bombs (nothing reappear when they destroy something), d... |
| | Lode Runner: The Legend Returns $69.94 ... |
| | Lode Runner You're a highly trained Galactic Commando, deep in enemy territory. Your mission: to recover a fortune in gold, stolen from the Bungeling people by their power-hungry leaders. You'll be running, jumping, and climbing heroically, solving perplexing puzzles. With your laser pistol, you'll drill passageways through stone floors and barriers. To get through this mission alive, you'll need more than f... |
| | Lode Runner 2 $9.43 In the game, players could play as a woman or a man, named Jake and Jane according to the manual, but the player's default name was Digmo (which was changeable), with the usual goal of collecting gold to go the next level, avoiding "Mad Monks" along the way. However, instead of the usual sidescroller, players were able to move in four different directions on a freeform map. There were separate lev... |
Tagged with: Action • game, • lode runner
Filed under: Action
Leave a Reply