Been playing this for a few days now, and it's really rather good.
Buy it at play-asia (ntsc-uk affiliate link)
The basic gameplay is the same as ever. Dig holes, trap enemies, collect gold, climb ladders and so on. The core of the game is actually based around the levels from Lode Runner and Championship Lode Runner on the NES, but with updated graphics and sound and a nice zoomed-out view on the top screen:
The top screen as actually really useful, and helps you keep track of the enemies in the level.
Although you can already get a handheld version of the NES game through the rerelease Hudson did on the GBA, the addition of saving (even mid-level), plus the much nicer, more modern presentation makes the DS game far more playable. And if you like, you can switch to the NES graphics and sound for a more retro feel:
In addition to the 100 main levels, there are also new puzzle levels (30 are available initially). These are small levels which don't have any enemies on them, so you just have to work out how to actually navigate through and collect all the gold. They're really very cleverly designed, and surprisingly hard even from the start:
I can see me spending quite a lot of time working through all these, and they're ideal for a handheld game as you can play for short bursts when you have the time.
As well as the main game, there's a level editor, which works very nicely with the stylus. You can save levels to the cart, and exchange them wirelessly (though not, unfortunately, over the net).
It's a shame that there aren't any new levels, other than the puzzle ones and a few training levels, but unless you know the NES version well, there're a lot of levels to keep you going. And I'd be amazed if anybody can get through the Championship levels in a hurry. Lode Runner by its nature is a game that works very well as a handheld title and, given that the GBA Lode Runner is next to impossible to find, I'm really pleased with the new DS version.
One thing to note is that the game is pretty heavy on the Japanese in the front end. It's not hard to work most of it out, but it's a bit daunting initially.
Buy it at play-asia (ntsc-uk affiliate link)
The basic gameplay is the same as ever. Dig holes, trap enemies, collect gold, climb ladders and so on. The core of the game is actually based around the levels from Lode Runner and Championship Lode Runner on the NES, but with updated graphics and sound and a nice zoomed-out view on the top screen:
The top screen as actually really useful, and helps you keep track of the enemies in the level.
Although you can already get a handheld version of the NES game through the rerelease Hudson did on the GBA, the addition of saving (even mid-level), plus the much nicer, more modern presentation makes the DS game far more playable. And if you like, you can switch to the NES graphics and sound for a more retro feel:
In addition to the 100 main levels, there are also new puzzle levels (30 are available initially). These are small levels which don't have any enemies on them, so you just have to work out how to actually navigate through and collect all the gold. They're really very cleverly designed, and surprisingly hard even from the start:
I can see me spending quite a lot of time working through all these, and they're ideal for a handheld game as you can play for short bursts when you have the time.
As well as the main game, there's a level editor, which works very nicely with the stylus. You can save levels to the cart, and exchange them wirelessly (though not, unfortunately, over the net).
It's a shame that there aren't any new levels, other than the puzzle ones and a few training levels, but unless you know the NES version well, there're a lot of levels to keep you going. And I'd be amazed if anybody can get through the Championship levels in a hurry. Lode Runner by its nature is a game that works very well as a handheld title and, given that the GBA Lode Runner is next to impossible to find, I'm really pleased with the new DS version.
One thing to note is that the game is pretty heavy on the Japanese in the front end. It's not hard to work most of it out, but it's a bit daunting initially.
I love Lode Runner but can't justify even more game purchases so I'll have to wait for a US release. 
Comment