## 'iLodeRunner': An Unofficial Remake of the Apple II Classic?

posted May 26th, 2009 12:50 PM EDT by Blake Patterson in $3.99, Platform, Retro, iPhone games, iPod touch games

iPhone developer ARCTAN has released iLodeRunner [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch, a remake of the 1983 Brøderbund classic platformer Lode Runner that's virtually identical to the Apple II original.

Features listed by the developer:

- Graphics, sound and gameplay virtually identical to the original 1983 version.
- All 150 levels from the original LodeRunner!
- Two control modes:
  - Accelerometer: Tilt to move, tap to dig.
  - Touch: Tap to move, swipe to dig.
- Extra features include level select, high scores, and game speed control.
- Level editor coming soon!

And while retro fans may enjoy the title, it seems unlikely that this is an officially licensed release. Official Lode Runner remakes have recently appeared on the classic iPod (from Hudson) and on the Xbox Live Arcade (from Tozai / SouthEnd). If it is indeed not an official release, ARCTAN's version will shortly be pulled from the App Store due to requests from stakeholders.

App Store Link: iLodeRunner, $3.99

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### 18 Responses to “'iLodeRunner': An Unofficial Remake of the Apple II Classic?”

1. Brett Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

   Have you gotten it yet Blake? You are a fan of classic games right?

2. Ape lover Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 1:34 pm

   they should have remade the sierra online version, not that crappy pixelart rls.

3. Blake Patterson Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

   Yes, it feels exactly like the Apple II version, aside from controls. Color fringing and all (graphics taken from the orig running in an emulator, obviously).

4. Adrian Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

   There was already a Lode runner game on the app store though. It's cheaper than this one and it looks like the lode runner I remember though maybe you guys have a longer memory than me:P.

5. Blake Patterson Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

   That other one is not fine.

6. Adams Immersive Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

   I'm tempted. Two wish items:

   1. I think I'd prefer swipe-to-move (since it works well in Pac-Man) with tap-to-dig.

   2. I wish it had an option for red bricks and cyan enemies–like the C64 version I know and love.

   If I could somehow important my own 100+ custom+ levels that would be great

   Actually I'd like to see these things (including the retro graphics) appear in an official release (which could have modern graphics as well).

7. Adrian Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

   In what sense not fine? I haven't played the other one, mind you, I was just saying there was another one out there. A friend of mine told me it wouldn't sync to his ipod touch, and he couldn't buy it from the app store either, he kept getting a message saying it was only for the iphone, is that what you mean, or were you referring to the gameplay ?

8. Jim Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

   This is the best Lode Runner in the store (at least so far.) The accelerometer controls are impossible so don't even try. The touch controls work very well. Nicely done.

9. mek Says:
   May 26th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

   so this could be considered buy as is, cause if it gets pulled, then obviously no upgrades would come, and you would have a limited quantity…hmm…

10. Andre Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Wow, this game is awesome!! I've been playing for 2 hours straight now without ever once putting my iPhone down. The graphics are all from the original game as I remember it back in the day. The accelerometer is a bit tough to play with at first but you get used to it after a while. It's definitely not impossible tho…

11. Brett Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    So overall do you feel that it's worth $4, even though it will probably be removed later?

12. John Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    I used to love that game on the atari. It was wicked

13. Boardumb Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Well, I'm grabbing this to add to my collection of apps which are (soon) no longer available.

14. Rad Says:
    May 26th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    You would think this developer would drop the price before it gets pulled they would make more money at 3.99 they will sell very few copies.

15. AA Says:
    May 27th, 2009 at 1:12 am

    I hope it gets pulled soon.

    And I'd like to see a official remake of it for the iPhone by Hudson.

16. Jim Says:
    May 27th, 2009 at 2:12 am

    Can somebody explain to me why everybody seems to think this isn't properly licensed?

17. Soul of Wit Says:
    May 29th, 2009 at 10:17 am

    Agreed. Swipe-to-move works surprisingly well in Pac-Man. And don't get me started on custom levels. Drool. I'm off to play some iShift.

18. Crescentfresh Says:
    June 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    ^ Yeah really. There are 2 "branches" of Lode Ruunner. The original Broderbund versions and the crappy Hudson versions. The Broderbund style games evolved into Sierra's The Legend Returns and the recent Xbox Live version. The Hudson ones started off with the arcade machine with the cutesy, squashed characters (which was ok) but committed the unforgivable sin of not showing you the entire puzzle on one screen for the ORIGINAL levels. And they tend to do this on every Lode Runner game they make.

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