H.E.R.O.
1984 · Platform · Atari 2600
Overview
H.E.R.O. (1984) is Activision's mine-rescue game: Roderick Hero hovers down flooded, magma-lined shafts with a backpack rotor, a helmet laser and six sticks of dynamite.
Deep Dive
The name stands for Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation. Volcanic activity has trapped miners deep inside Mount Leone, and Roderick Hero descends to reach them. His hoverpack lets him fly and hover, a microlaser in his helmet deals with spiders, snakes and other creatures, and dynamite clears the walls that block the way. Glowing magma walls are deadly, lanterns plunge the screen into darkness when touched, and a power gauge drains from the moment he starts moving. Leftover power and dynamite turn into points at the end of each level.
Developer Story
H.E.R.O. was designed by John Van Ryzin under the working title Heli and released for the Atari 2600 on 30 March 1984 on an 8-kilobyte cartridge. Versions for the ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Atari 5200, MSX, ZX Spectrum and other systems followed.
Did You Know?
- Reviewing the Commodore 64 version for Zzap!64, Julian Rignall wrote that it 'looks awful, sounds terrible but plays absolutely beautifully'.
- Retro Gamer ranked it second among the 25 best Atari 2600 games in 2008.
Sources & further reading
- H.E.R.O. (video game) — Wikipedia
