Road Runner (video game)
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Road Runner (video game) |
Road Runner is a racing video game released in 1985 by Atari Games, inspired by the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner animated shorts.
Gameplay
In this game, players take on the role of Road Runner, who must continuously escape Wile E. Coyote by navigating leftward through intricate mazes. Along the way, players collect bird seeds while dodging hazards such as vehicles. Meanwhile, Wile E. Coyote chases using an array of gadgets, including rockets and roller skates.
Development
Originally envisioned as a 1984 LaserDisc title that would blend computer-generated graphics with footage from the original cartoons, the project was ultimately abandoned by Atari. It was later redesigned and launched in 1985 as a conventional arcade game, substituting LaserDisc elements with fully computer-generated visuals.
A single prototype of the initial LaserDisc concept still exists and is occasionally showcased at arcade collector gatherings.
Music
During gameplay, classical compositions are featured, including Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance," Rossini's "William Tell Overture," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee," and Tchaikovsky's "Trepak" from The Nutcracker.
Ports
Road Runner was adapted for multiple platforms such as the Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, and Nintendo Entertainment System. The Atari 2600 version, which appeared in 1989, was among the final releases by Atari Corporation for that system.
The NES adaptation was distributed by the unlicensed publisher Tengen, who circumvented Nintendo’s lockout technology to release the game without official approval.
Reception
In 1988, Gregg Pearlman of Antic commended the game’s demanding challenge, stating it "should keep you entertained for hours on end." He also recommended playing as Wile E. Coyote rather than Road Runner, noting that unlike the cartoons where the coyote fails, in this game he never loses. Pearlman additionally pointed out the intense physical effort involved in playing. In issue #140 of Dragon, reviewers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser awarded it a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Commercially, Road Runner achieved second place on the UK sales charts, trailing only behind Exolon.
External links
- Road Runner at Arcade History database
- Road Runner at Arcade Flyer Archive
- Articles with short description
- 1985 video games
- Amstrad CPC games
- Arcade video games
- Atari 2600 games
- Atari arcade games
- Atari ST games
- Commodore 64 games
- DOS games
- Multiplayer and single-player video games
- Tengen (company) games
- Unauthorized video games
- Video games about birds
- Video games about coyotes
- Video games based on Looney Tunes
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games scored by Fred Gray
- Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
- ZX Spectrum games