Lode Runner IV: Teikoku Karano Dasshutsu is an arcade puzzle-platformer developed by Irem and released in 1986. The fourth arcade installment in the legendary Lode Runner series, this entry continues the classic formula of outsmarting guards to collect all the gold in each level. “Teikoku Karano Dasshutsu” (Escape from the Empire) introduces a fresh set of increasingly complex stages filled with ladders, hand-over-hand bars, and destructible brick floors.
How to Play
Your goal is to collect all the gold scattered throughout the level to reveal the exit ladder to the next stage. Avoid the enemy guards who relentlessly pursue you. You are completely unarmed but can use your blaster to dig holes in the brick floors to your left or right. Enemies that fall into these holes will be temporarily trapped, allowing you to walk safely over them. The arcade controls are simple: use the joystick to move and climb, and the two action buttons to dig left or right. In your browser, use the arrow keys to move, and the Z and X keys to dig.
Tips
- Make them drop it: Guards can pick up gold. If an enemy has a piece of gold, you must trap them in a hole to make them drop it.
- Watch the timer: Dug holes fill back in automatically after a short time. If a guard is still trapped when the hole closes, they will be defeated and respawn elsewhere on the screen.
- Look before you leap: You can safely fall from any height, but you cannot jump. Plan your route carefully to avoid getting stranded in a pit without a ladder!
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