Twenty-five years before LittleBigPlanet, there was Lode Runner, one of the first games to include a level editor. (Kids on commission reportedly built some of the game’s original levels with the editor.) The title has been reborn more than once; few gaming systems have been bereft of a port. The latest iteration appears on Xbox Live Arcade, and while it bears a few unnecessary “modern” touches, the core game remains rock-solid.
Character animation and backgrounds are now more detailed than ever, even bordering on overwrought, but you’re still a little guy trying to collect gold as relentless pursuers give chase. The character can’t jump, but on most terrain, can dig pits to his left and right. These provide quick routes so he can drop down to lower platforms, and trap enemies who walk into the holes. The pits will eventually grow back into solid ground, temporarily killing anything (enemy or hero) trapped within.
Among Lode Runner’s most notable achievements was making lousy AI into a feature. This hasn’t been fixed. Dumb enemies climb up or down ladders to reach your vertical position, and are easily herded into traps and dead ends. This is an integral part of the game, as you’re required to quickly evaluate a large, multi-platform environment decorated with ladders, indestructible terrain, and collectible gold, then plot a path while evading or trapping determined (and uncomfortably speedy) assassins.