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
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system BurgerTime hardware
Display Raster, 240 x 240 pixels (Vertical), 8 colors

Lock 'n' Chase (ロツク・ン・チエイス) 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]

This game was released in two different arcade game versions in the US; was part of Data East's DECO Cassette System. It was also licensed to Taito for release. This was the last Taito cabinet released in the "old style" cabinets; Taito's next arcade release, Qix, changed over to the familiar Taito cabinet style used until the mid-1980s.

Gameplay

The game's main character 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

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.

On June 16, 2018, Jason Vasiloff set a new world record of 136,140 points. Jason performed this feat at the Funspot Family Fun Center in New Hampshire. [5]


See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Intellivision Classic Video Game System / M Network Computer Games". www.intellivisionlives.com.
  2. ↑ "AtariAge - Atari 2600 Manuals (HTML) - Lock 'N' Chase (M Network)". www.atariage.com.
  3. 1 2 "Lock 'N Chase - Videogame by Data East". www.klov.com.
  4. ↑ "Cartridge instructions". www.intellivisionlives.com.
  5. ↑ "Twin Galaxies". Twin Galaxies Forum.
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