Lode Runner

Lode Runner is the classic dig-and-run puzzle game. Every level is a single screen of bricks, ladders and bars with piles of gold to collect and guards that chase you. You can’t fight, but you can dig: burn a hole in the floor next to you and a guard falls in, or dig a way down to gold that is out of reach. Collect all the gold, then climb to the top of the screen. This is Hudson Soft’s 1984 NES version of Doug Smith’s game, with 50 levels, and it plays right here in your browser with no download.

More classic NES games: Battle City, Bomberman and Super Mario Bros.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture. Choose 1 Player with Select (V) and press Start (Enter).
2. Run with the arrow keys, climb ladders with up and down, and hang from the bars to cross gaps.
3. Dig a hole in the brick floor with Z (to the left) or X (to the right). You can only dig brick, not the solid stone.
4. A guard that runs into a hole is stuck for a moment. The hole fills in by itself after a short time: a guard still inside is gone and comes back at the top, and if you are inside, you lose a life.
5. Guards pick up gold too, and drop it when they fall into a hole. Grab every pile, then climb to the top of the screen to go to the next level.

Controls

Computer: arrow keys move, Z digs to the left, X digs to the right, V is Select, Enter is Start and pauses. Move the mouse over the game to show the bar with pause, restart, sound, save state, load state and full screen buttons.

Phone and tablet: the NES pad appears under the game: the cross, B (digs to the left), A (digs to the right) and Start.

A USB or Bluetooth gamepad also works.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. A small panel opens over the game, and the game waits until you close it.

• Unlimited lives: you never run out of men.
• Invincible: the guards walk right through you.

Reloading the page turns the cheats off again.

About Lode Runner

Doug Smith created Lode Runner in 1983, and Broderbund published it for home computers. Hudson Soft made the Famicom version in 1984, with bigger cartoon graphics, scrolling screens, music and 50 levels, and it came to the NES in North America. It has five lives to start with and an extra one for every level you finish. Edit mode lets you build your own levels; on the NES they cannot be saved.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lode Runner free to play here?

Yes. You can play it free in your browser on Yes This Game, with no download and no sign-up.

How do you trap the guards in Lode Runner?

Wait until a guard is coming toward you across a brick floor, then dig a hole in its path. It falls in and stays stuck for a moment, and you can even run across its head.

Why can’t I finish the level?

You need every pile of gold first, including the gold a guard is carrying. Trap that guard in a hole and it drops the gold.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet an on-screen pad appears under the game.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The bar under the game has save state and load state buttons that keep the game in your browser on this device.