Lock 'n' Chase
| Lock 'n' Chase | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Data East |
| Publisher(s) | Data East (JP) Taito (NA) Mattel (Intellivision) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade (original) Atari 2600, Intellivision, Apple II, Game Boy |
| Release | Arcade June 19, 1981 Intellivision, Atari 2600 1982 Apple II 1983 Game Boy 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Arcade system | BurgerTime hardware |
Lock 'n' Chase (ロック・ン・チェイス) is a 1981 maze arcade game developed and published by Data East in Japan in 1981, and later published in North America by Taito. Lock 'n' Chase was Data East's response to Pac-Man. The game was licensed to Mattel who produced the Intellivision and Atari 2600 home console versions in 1982[1][2] and an Apple II version in January 1983.[1]
In the US, the game was part of Data East's DECO Cassette System. It was also licensed to Taito. This was the last Taito cabinet released in the "old style" cabinets.[citation needed] Taito's next arcade release, Qix, changed over to the familiar Taito cabinet style used until the mid-1980s.
Gameplay
The game's protagonist is a thief. The object of the game is to enter a maze and collect all the coins and, if possible, any other treasure that may appear. The thief must then exit the maze (a vault) without being apprehended by the Super D (policemen). The thief can close doorways within the maze in order to temporarily trap the Super D and allow him to keep his distance from them. Only two doors can be closed at a time. The Super D policemen are named Stiffy, Scaredy, Smarty, and Silly.[3]
Coins (depicted as dots) are worth 20 points each. In every level of Lock 'n' Chase, there exist money bags that appear in the center of the maze randomly. Money bags are worth 500, 1000, 2000, and up to 4000 points, respectively, for each time they appear.[4] Each level also has a specific treasure that appears near the center of the maze (much like the food items in Pac-Man). These treasures include the following items (listed respectively by level): top hat, crown, briefcase, and telephone. The first three of these treasures are worth 200 points, 300 points and 500 points, respectively. Additional treasures and their point values are revealed as the player completes successive levels.[3]
Legacy
A clone for the Atari 8-bit family was published in 1984 as Money Hungry.[5]
In 1990, Data East produced an updated version of Lock 'n' Chase for the Nintendo Game Boy.
The original Lock 'n' Chase is included in the Nintendo Wii release Data East Arcade Classics and a release on the PlayStation Network, both in 2010. The Game Boy version was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console on January 19, 2012.
Telegames later re-published the game for the Atari 2600 after acquiring rights from Mattel.[citation needed]
On June 16, 2018, Jason Vasiloff set a new world record of 136,140 points at the Funspot Family Fun Center in New Hampshire. [6]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Intellivision Classic Video Game System / M Network Computer Games". www.intellivisionlives.com.
- ^ "AtariAge - Atari 2600 Manuals (HTML) - Lock 'N' Chase (M Network)". www.atariage.com.
- ^ a b "Lock 'N Chase - Videogame by Data East". www.klov.com.
- ^ "Cartridge instructions". www.intellivisionlives.com.
- ^ "Money Hungry". Atari Mania.
- ^ "Twin Galaxies". Twin Galaxies Forum.
External links
- Lock 'n' Chase at the Killer List of Videogames
- Lock 'n' Chase at Intellivision Lives
- Lock 'n' Chase at Atari Mania