How to play Lode Runner
You are the runner, drawn in red, on a single screen of bricks, solid blocks, ladders and ropes. Pick up every bar of gold and a hidden escape ladder appears; climb it off the top of the screen to clear the level. Guards, drawn in ink, chase you the whole time.
You can’t jump and you can’t fight. What you can do is dig: a hole in the brick down beside your feet, which fills back in a few seconds later. There are 20 levels, from an empty warm-up to five guards at once. Clear one to unlock the next.
Rules
- Run left and right, climb ladders, and go hand over hand along ropes. Step off a ledge or let go of a rope and you fall until something stops you. Falls never hurt.
- Dig left or right to open the brick diagonally below you. You can’t dig solid blocks, or under a ladder, a bar of gold or a guard. Fall into a hole and you drop through it if there is empty space beneath.
- A hole fills back in after about eight seconds. Anyone still inside is buried: a guard reappears at the top of the screen, but if it’s you, the try is over.
- A guard that steps into a hole is stuck there for a few seconds before it climbs out. While it’s stuck you can walk across its head.
- Guards pick up gold they walk over and drop it again later, or as soon as they fall into a hole. Touch a guard and you are caught.
- A clear scores 1,000 points plus 10 for every second left on the level’s bonus clock, which starts when you first move. Your run score adds up your best result on each level, so replaying can only raise it.
Controls
- Arrows / WASD
- Run, climb, and let go of a rope (down)
- Z / X or Q / E
- Dig down to the left / right
- R
- Restart the level
- Enter / Space
- Next level after a clear, or try again after being caught
- P / Esc
- Pause
- Touch
- A pad and two dig buttons appear below the board
Tips
- Dig a hole one or two tiles in front of a guard that’s running at you, not right under its feet: it needs time to reach it.
- You can’t dig while a guard stands on the brick, so dig early and step back.
- To get down through a floor two bricks thick, dig two holes side by side in the top layer, drop into one and dig the next layer from inside.
- A guard carrying gold shows it above its head. Trap it and the bar drops right there.
Lode Runner strategy
Speeds and timings
You run a tile in 0.16 seconds and a guard needs 0.24, so on open ground you gain a tile on a chasing guard every half second. A dig takes 0.28 seconds, and you stand still while you dig. A hole stays open for 7.6 seconds and fills in over the next 0.8; a guard that falls in is stuck for 3.6 seconds before it climbs out.
How guards chase
Each guard takes the shortest route to you over the level as drawn, so it never sees your holes and walks straight into them. When it can’t reach you, it heads for the spot nearest to you, counting rows more than columns, which is why guards gather under a ledge you are standing on. A guard that climbs out of a hole always steps sideways first, towards you if it can.
Burying a guard
A guard is only buried if it is still in the hole when the brick comes back, so it has to fall in during the last 3.6 seconds before the hole is full: dig early and let the guard arrive late. A buried guard comes back at the top of the screen a second later, above where it started, so burying one only buys you time.
The bonus clock
A clear is worth 1,000 points plus 10 for each second left on the bonus clock, which starts at your first move. Each clock is set to about twice the time our solver needed, so a clean, direct route keeps much of it. Replaying a level only counts if you beat your best there.
About Lode Runner
Lode Runner was written by Doug Smith and published by Broderbund for the Apple II in 1983. It was one of the first games with a level editor, and the best-selling computer game in the United States that year.
All 20 levels here are our own, none copied from the original. A search program played each one through the game’s own engine, guards and all, to check that it can be cleared, and each level’s bonus clock is set to about twice its time.
Questions
Are these the original Lode Runner levels?
No. All 20 were designed for this site, and a solver checked that each one can be cleared.
Can you jump in Lode Runner?
No. You get around by running, climbing and falling, and you dig holes to drop through floors or trap guards.
How is the score calculated?
1,000 points per cleared level plus 10 for every second left on its bonus clock. Your run score adds up your best on each level.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in this browser: the levels you have cleared and your best points on each.
