Jeremy Parish from 1UP writes:
"You may or may not know Lode Runner; personally, I have many fond memories of talking my way out of fifth grade math class to "help" in the computer lab, where the very kind lab supervisor would usually let me get in a couple levels of the original Apple II version of the game before heading back to learn my multiplication tables. So I've always had a soft spot for the game -- a fondness rarely satisfied by the janky remakes the game has seen over the years. Most recently was Hudson's awful Cubic Lode Runner for GameCube, which made the entire affair an overly complicated mess. The XBLA version, however, is a stripped-down, fast-paced, back-to-the-basics take on the game -- and it's excellent."
Before Super Mario Maker, there was this 1983 personal computer classic.
I remember playing this on the VIC-20. Fun game but I never did finish it though.
A great game. There was a cool remake by Sierra in 1994 for Windows and Macs (also released on PS1 and Saturn) which had nicely detailed animation and environmental sounds. I remember being sucked into that one for hours as a kid, creating fiendish levels my friends didn't want to play.
NLife:
"Broderbund's Lode Runner is a challenging puzzler that, unfortunately, hasn't aged particularly gracefully. Originally released in 1983 on computers like the Apple II and the Commodore 64, Lode Runner feels dated, even for an NES game. It's easy to see the reason Lode Runner was released on so many different platforms over the years — there's a wealth of gameplay with clever level design and a level editor — but there's nothing here that offers anything that today's gamers haven't seen before. Games like Spelunky have expanded greatly on Lode Runner's gameplay; as such, this is only recommended for gamers who want to take a trip back in time to see what we've learned from the classics."
Douglas E. Smith, creator of Lode Runner, has regrettably passed away.
