Hyper Lode Runner
Encyclopedia
Hyper Lode Runner is a video game for the Nintendo
Game Boy
.
in September 1989. It was based on Lode Runner
, a very popular home computer game, which was released in 1983 by Broderbund.
feel. Upon clearing the screen a kusudama
opens up and drops streamers on Lode Runner.
"Earthdate 2264: These are troubled times for the planet. After centuries of peace, the renegade Red Lord of Darkness had led his cyborg fanatics in a bloody revolution that has overthrown the United World governments. Millions of political prisoners are being tortured in his infamous Labyrinth of Doom far beneath the surface of the planet. Very little is known about this subterranean maze of brick-walled catacombs. Just vague rumors about hidden millions in stolen gold guarded by a ruthless army of mutant cyborg zombies commanded by the merciless General Zod, governor of the Red Lord’s death camps. Only one thing is sure…none of your predecessors have ever come out of this dreaded place alive. But, you must find a way with a lode of gold big enough to launch the counter-revolution. You are the last hope; the last of the great Lode Runners."
Your objective is to gather gold that is scattered on the brick platforms, which are connected by ladders. You are chased by robots (cyborgs) that end your character's life if they catch him, though you can stand on their heads. Your main weapon is the ability to dig both to the left and right of your character. The holes you dig are only temporary and fill themselves in. A robot that falls into one of your holes will be destroyed if the hole fills in before it can escape. Your character can also suffer this same fate, ending his life. Destroyed robots are replaced with new ones that appear from the top of the screen. The robots can also carry gold which they drop if they fall into a hole. The robot's movements are dependent on yours, and a significant facet of the game play is figuring out how to use the robot's movements to your advantage in clearing a stage. Besides bricks and ladders, levels also consist of blocks (which can't be dug into), rope (to traverse platform chasms) and crumbling bricks (which you fall through). Once all gold has been retrieved a missing segment of ladder will appear allowing your character to escape to the next level. Some levels contain keys and doors which provide an alternate way to leave a level.
The game is an example of the "trap-em-up" genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien
(1979), Space Panic
(1980), and Lode Runner
(1983).
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
.
Release
Bandai released Hyper Lode Runner for Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in September 1989. It was based on Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
, a very popular home computer game, which was released in 1983 by Broderbund.
Graphics
The graphics are well suited to an early Game Boy release, as the original game had been developed for play on limited hardware. The graphics are actually updated from the original, and have a Japanese animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
feel. Upon clearing the screen a kusudama
Kusudama
The Japanese kusudama is a paper model that is usually created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units together through their points to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that...
opens up and drops streamers on Lode Runner.
Sound
The theme music is different from that found in the computer version. It is in stereo, if headphones are used. The sound effects are basic, and functional, in that they alert the player to what is needed.Storyline and Gameplay
The story line from the instruction booklet reads:"Earthdate 2264: These are troubled times for the planet. After centuries of peace, the renegade Red Lord of Darkness had led his cyborg fanatics in a bloody revolution that has overthrown the United World governments. Millions of political prisoners are being tortured in his infamous Labyrinth of Doom far beneath the surface of the planet. Very little is known about this subterranean maze of brick-walled catacombs. Just vague rumors about hidden millions in stolen gold guarded by a ruthless army of mutant cyborg zombies commanded by the merciless General Zod, governor of the Red Lord’s death camps. Only one thing is sure…none of your predecessors have ever come out of this dreaded place alive. But, you must find a way with a lode of gold big enough to launch the counter-revolution. You are the last hope; the last of the great Lode Runners."
Your objective is to gather gold that is scattered on the brick platforms, which are connected by ladders. You are chased by robots (cyborgs) that end your character's life if they catch him, though you can stand on their heads. Your main weapon is the ability to dig both to the left and right of your character. The holes you dig are only temporary and fill themselves in. A robot that falls into one of your holes will be destroyed if the hole fills in before it can escape. Your character can also suffer this same fate, ending his life. Destroyed robots are replaced with new ones that appear from the top of the screen. The robots can also carry gold which they drop if they fall into a hole. The robot's movements are dependent on yours, and a significant facet of the game play is figuring out how to use the robot's movements to your advantage in clearing a stage. Besides bricks and ladders, levels also consist of blocks (which can't be dug into), rope (to traverse platform chasms) and crumbling bricks (which you fall through). Once all gold has been retrieved a missing segment of ladder will appear allowing your character to escape to the next level. Some levels contain keys and doors which provide an alternate way to leave a level.
The game is an example of the "trap-em-up" genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien
Heiankyo Alien
is a video game created by the University of Tokyo's Theoretical Science Group in 1979. The game was originally developed and released as a personal computer game in 1979, and was then published by Denki Onkyō Corporation as an arcade game in January 1980...
(1979), Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
(1980), and Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
(1983).