| Publisher: | Synapse Software |
| Designer: | Joshua Scholar[1] |
| Platforms: | Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit |
| Genre: | Action |
| Modes: | Single-player |
Lode Runner's Rescue is a 1985 action game developed by Joshua Scholar for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers as a follow-up to Doug Smiths's Lode Runner.[2] Lode Runner was published by Broderbund, but the sequel was published under the Synapse Software name, a company acquired by Broderbund in 1984. Lode Runner's Rescue uses isometric projection to give a 3D feel.[3]
Lode Runner's Rescue was positively received by the press, including Ahoy!,[4] ANALOG Computing,[5] Atari Explorer,[6] and Commodore Magazine which described it as a surprise hit.[7]
Greg Williams of Computer Gaming World praised the Atari version's graphics but asked "How likely is it that a game with girls, mice, cats, and magic mushrooms should be called Lode Runner's Rescue?" He speculated that the publisher put the series name on an unrelated and independently developed game.[8] Roy Wagner reviewed the Commodore 64 version for Computer Gaming World and praised the ability of creating the player's screens with icon screen editor.[9] Ahoy! stated that the Commodore 64 version's graphics were much better than the earlier games.[10]