Road Runner (1985)

Road Runner is a variant of the platform genre, based on the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts. It was developed and released by Atari Games in 1985. Road Runner was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, and NES. Like other NES games released by Tengen, the NES version of Road Runner was released in an unlicensed cartridge.

The player portrays the Road Runner who must outmaneuver and outsmart Wile E. Coyote while eating seed along the way in order to stay alive. It also has full-stereo music scores from Road Runner and other Looney Tunes.

Move the Road Runner through a cartoon world eating bird seed. Lead Wile E. Coyote to his demise for extra points.

One unusual feature, is the screen scrolls constantly from right to left, unlike almost every other game that scrolls normally from left to right.

From the flyer
System I, and ultra-high performance, highly flexible system from Atari games. Now featuring, Road Runner, the latest in the line of state-of-the-art products.

Gameplay with outstanding entertainment value!

The player portrays the Road Runner who must avoid Wile E. Coyote, and his tricks while eating seed along the way in order to stay alive.

In later game screen, the challenge intensifies; there are trucks to dodge, lemonade to drink, steel shot to eat, and invisible paint to use.

A brand new control, the Hall-effect joystick, guides both the speed and direction of movement of the Road Runner. The Hall-effect device responds in all directions and positions (not just the standard four or eight), giving the player a full range of speed and movement.

Timing the use of the hop button is critical to out-maneuver Wile E. Coyote. The player must learn to jump over mines, oil slicks, crevices and steel shot.

The entertainment value of Road Runner is highlighted as the player is encouraged to take risks for a high score by picking up the piles of seeds, teasting Wile E. Coyote (allowing him to follow closely), forcing the coyote's plans to backfire, jumping over the mines, eating the steel shot and drinking lemonade.

Operator Options for Maximum earnings!
The operator can select from four difficulty settings, four different starting life options, four options for maximum number of lives, and eight different options for bonus thresholds.

All the standard, high-level System I self-test and game statistics features are included. Special statistic features for Road runner including a reading of the number of players who have used the short cut (game continuation feature), the total number of bonus lives awarded for all games and the number of players who have achieved the maximum number of bonus lives allowed.

For operators who would like to utilize prize redemption, Road Runner also features the new System I Vend-a-ticket game option.

Gameplay summary

 * Avoid Wile E. Coyote by running away, or using the Hop button.
 * If you eat steel shot it is difficult to keep your distance from the magnet-wielding coyote.
 * Maneuver on the narrow path, and don't let Wile E. Coyote spring on you.
 * Hop over the crevices to avoid falling to the depths of the Grand Canyon.