"Certainly not much to it, but still a fun and solid action / puzzler"

Lode Runner, licensed and distributed (but not created, as the story goes) by Douglas Smith, is a simple yet creative design. The game was released on several computer and Atari platforms in the early 1980s, and was eventually brought to the NES through publisher Broderbund in 1986.

There are a few objectives of each stage in Lode Runner. Primarily, the game's goal in each stage is to collect all gold bars scattered throughout the stage. Players must move the character across platforms up and down ladders, and over precarious tightropes to navigate each stage. When all gold bars are collected, a special ladder appears within the stage, which is essentially the exit route.

Our unfortunate character does not have the ability to jump. However, he is equipped with a rather nasty laser gun, which can shoot holes through brick blocks. There are some blocks which his gun can not penetrate, but these are marked as solid red blocks.

One button makes a hole one square to the left, and another makes a hole directly to the right. The floor regenerates in a few seconds, but this is enough time to either fall through the hole or create a new one. With this, players can get themselves out of tight situations, whether it be falling down to collect the last gold bar, or evading the treacherous enemies.

The Bungeling Empire, as they might be called, are out to steal the precious gold bars. They do not have the laser guns to form holes in the ground, but they can steal gold bars from the stage. Each enemy will aggressively chase the Lode Runner throughout the stage, despite any obstacles. If the Lode Runner drops from a tightrope while being followed, for example, so do the enemies.

When one is trapped in a hole formed by the player, though, an enemy who has stolen a gold bar will relinquish it, leaving the player to walk directly atop the enemy to collect the bar. Some enemies are quick enough to step out of the hole before it caves in, but if there is another hole put directly next to the previous one, the enemy will more than likely be trapped in. Enemies do re-spawn in a matter of seconds at the top right of the screen, however, so the Lode Runner can not slow down.

Lode Runner can die by either coming in contact with an enemy, or becoming trapped in his own hole. Unfortunately, he is not able to leap out of his own hole. Fortunately, though, he can fall from any height off of either a ladder or a tightrope, so he can not die from falling like most heroes of the time. Lode Runner, for some reason, falls faster than the enemies, which can be used to the Lode Runner's advantage.

After each stage is completed, though, the player receives a free life for completing the stage. This is not to mean that the game is easy; it can be difficult to rack up lives, seeing as several stages of this game can be very difficult. Also, at the end of each stage, bonuses are given based on how many gold bars collected, and how many time an enemy was killed.

Some stages are very intricately designed, which makes playing Lode Runner quite exciting. At first, during the camera sweep from the left of the screen to the right and back again, it may seem like a completely arbitrary mish-mash of ladders, gold bars, and enemies. When the player takes some time to explore the area and collect some hard-to-reach gold bars, the stage is revealed as being much more complex.

Graphically, the game is extraordinarily simple. The game is easy to understand and interpret, and granted, there were not much better graphics at the time, so it's acceptable. Strangely, the fiendish enemies sort of look like little Bombermen.

In-game, there is a basic rhythm that plays while the Lode Runner is retrieving his riches, but besides this rhythm and a few other tunes, there are not many songs in Lode Runner. However, there is a nice little introductory ditty that plays right before each stage begins. The sounds consist of Lode Runner running, climbing a ladder, navigating a tightrope, digging a hole, an enemy dying, and a hole filling up. This suffices for a game's sound and music for when the game was released.

Lode Runner for the NES may serve as simply a novelty nowadays. There are newer versions of what is essentially the same game on the market, but it is more than likely that these have not received much reception either. While the level editor is a fun toy to play with, and with the competitive "2-Player Mode", the appeal in Lode Runner may only fall to nostalgic gamers or action puzzle fans.

Incidentally, the ending of the very first Bomberman game alludes to Bomberman becoming a runner, and that players will see him again in Lode Runner. There is not much correlation or consistency to this, but Lode Runner has been handled by developer Hudson before, just like the entirety of the Bomberman series.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/05