Lost Luggage (video game)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founder | Pat Roper |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Fate | Ceased operations after bankruptcy restructuring attempts |
| Headquarters | Richardson, Texas , United States |
Number of employees | 5 (1982) |
Lost Luggage is an action title launched in 1982 by Games by Apollo for the Atari 2600. In this game, players take on the role of skycaps working at an airport, tasked with gathering suitcases that drop erratically from a disorderly luggage carousel. A mode for two players enables the second participant to influence the direction in which the luggage falls.
The game was programmed by Ed Salvo within approximately four weeks, drawing inspiration from his experience waiting for baggage at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Reviewers pointed out its notable similarity to Activision's Kaboom!, which itself was modeled after the arcade title Avalanche, often regarding Lost Luggage as a lesser imitation.
Gameplay
In this action-oriented title, players oversee skycap attendants who must catch suitcases tumbling unpredictably off a baggage carousel.[1] The objective is to prevent any luggage from touching the ground. Players begin with three suitcases representing their lives; each missed piece results in the loss of one life. The game concludes when all lives are depleted.[2]
Two difficulty settings modify the experience: players either control a single skycap or manage two simultaneously. A competitive two-player variant allows the second player to steer the falling luggage’s path.[3] An optional feature introduces "terrorist suitcases," which are black suitcases that cause an immediate game over if dropped, regardless of remaining lives.[2][3]
Development
Lost Luggage was created by Games by Apollo, a video game company located in Richardson, Texas, aiming its product at frequent flyers. At that period, the firm employed five people. The concept originated with programmer Ed Salvo while he awaited baggage at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after meeting Apollo’s founder Pat Roper. Together, they imagined a carousel releasing chaotic items.
Salvo provided artist Ernie Runyon with a preliminary sketch; after collaborative discussions, they finalized the name Lost Luggage, having also considered "Airport Mayhem." Runyon handled programming duties with support from Salvo. Although Runyon wished to incorporate a luggage train feature, cartridge memory restrictions prevented its inclusion. Challenges arose involving collision detection and joystick input synchronization, requiring about a week to solve. A graphical glitch occurring during suitcase capture was remedied by compiling the software on an alternative machine.
Sound designer Larry Minor produced both effects and music for the game; notably, Lost Luggage was among the earliest Atari 2600 titles to include integrated musical tracks rather than solely sound effects. Salvo estimated that development spanned around four weeks. Additionally, Byron Parks recorded a four-minute promotional jingle at a studio owned by Roper, though it was never utilized.
Following release, Runyon departed from Games by Apollo, leaving Lost Luggage as his sole project there; Salvo also eventually exited. On November 12, 1982, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, burdened mainly by $2.5 million owed to advertising firm Benton & Bowles within an overall $5 million debt. Despite founder Pat Roper’s hopes for a scaled-back comeback, Apollo ceased operations in 1983 after unsuccessful restructuring attempts.
Release
Games by Apollo launched Lost Luggage in September 1982, issuing two distinct versions identified by their label colors. The cartridges with blue labels present an introductory scene where the protagonist removes three initial suitcases. In contrast, the green-labeled edition includes a feature enabling players to restart the game by pressing the fire button, a capability not found in the blue-labeled version. Neither Salvo nor Runyon were aware of this variant; Runyon speculated that Salvo might have enhanced the game after initial development, though Salvo denied making any modifications following production.
Reception
Critical response to Lost Luggage was varied. In 1982, Bill Kunkel and Arnie Katz of Electronic Games observed that while the title lacked a "spark of greatness," it was commendable for deviating from standard sci-fi shooter themes and offered solid gameplay. However, they criticized its simplistic graphics and limited overall engagement. Reviewers in Video highlighted its "incredibly cute touches," but suggested Apollo might have benefited from focusing more on gameplay difficulty rather than decorative elements. Danny Goodman of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games appreciated the entertaining graphics but noted that experienced players could find the gameplay repetitive fairly quickly. The magazine TV Gamer recommended it primarily for children, favoring Kaboom! as a better choice for more advanced players. More favorable opinions appeared in Videogaming Illustrated, which described it as Apollo's most endearing title, and in Texas Monthly, which referred to it as a "fiendish little amusement."
Contemporary evaluations tend to be less favorable. Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame characterized it as a "slower, less intense" iteration of Kaboom!, critiquing its lack of support for paddle controllers and uninspired multiplayer options. In his book Classic Home Video Games, Weiss described it as a "fleeting pleasure" featuring unremarkable visuals apart from the airplane graphics, combined with subpar difficulty balance and pacing. Keita Iida from Atari HQ dismissed it as an inferior clone of Kaboom!, suggesting it might offer mild enjoyment only if not compared to superior alternatives like Eggomania.