Super Lode Runner

Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

Between 1984 to 1986, Irem released four more different Lode Runner arcade games in Japan after the original arcade games release. 55 stages were culled from these arcade games and were packaged into Super Lode Runner for the Famicom Disk System. The game also kept the innovation from the arcade ...

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Developer
Tamtex

Released on
1987

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Famicom Disk System

Requirements
Nintendo Famicom Disk System

Downloads
Action

Publisher
Irem

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

Between 1984 to 1986, Irem released four more different Lode Runner arcade games in Japan after the original arcade games release. 55 stages were culled from these arcade games and were packaged into Super Lode Runner for the Famicom Disk System. The game also kept the innovation from the arcade games of the two-player mode and brought in 15 stages for simultaneous action.

The game keeps the typical gameplay of the Lode Runner series. Players have to collect all the gold on the stage, while either avoiding or trapping the robotic guards who are constantly giving them chase. The game also features a level editor so players can create their own stages to play on.

A few months after this game was released, Super Lode Runner II was released which is similar to this game, only it included different stages from the arcade games. Also, this game shouldn’t be confused with the MSX game with the same title. While in a similar situation as this game, it contains an entirely different set of stages to play.

Super Lode Runner

Overview & History

Released exclusively in Japan by Hudson Soft in 1985, Super Lode Runner for the Famicom Disk System serves as an expanded, highly challenging sequel to Douglas E. Smith's original puzzle-platformer classic. Utilizing the writable, double-sided medium of the Disk System, Hudson Soft introduced a massive progression of sixty all-new stages that pushed the concept of puzzle-platforming to punishing extremes. Unlike the original game's sci-fi framing of collecting gold while dodging murderous security robots, the overarching premise here thrusts the protagonist—an intrepid space commando—deeper into underground empire vaults to reclaim stolen treasure while utilizing clever environmental manipulation to neutralize relentless pursuing guards. Because the Disk System allowed for saved progress, the difficulty curve could scale aggressively without requiring lengthy password inputs.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay loop centers on vertical and horizontal navigation across multi-tiered brick platforms. Players control a lone hero equipped with a trusty laser pistol, which cannot kill enemies directly, but can instead vaporize specific blocks to the immediate left or right. Once a brick is destroyed, it opens a temporary pit trapping any pursuing guard who falls inside. After a short duration, the brick magically regenerates, crushing any trapped enemy who hasn't managed to climb out in time—instantly respawning them at the top of the screen. Golden boxes are scattered throughout each labyrinth, and the stage only clears once every single piece of gold has been collected, opening an escape ladder to the next level. Unlike later entries in the franchise, Super Lode Runner heavily emphasizes split-second timing, precise positioning, and spatial foresight. Enemies are relentlessly intelligent, and a single miscalculated dig can create an inescapable dead-end or trap the player in their own excavated hole, costing a precious life.