H.E.R.O.

H.E.R.O. belongs to that pool of classic games that didn't get its start in an arcade and doesn't get a lot of fanfare, but nevertheless since the time of its original release (back in 1984) it has never disappeared, but has been ported and emulated to numerous platforms.

Designed by Activision for the Atari 2600, the game sets itself apart right from the beginning as a multiple screen adventure with distinct levels.  This was uncommon on the 2600 as most games tended to be arcade ports or simple, single-screen affairs where level progression meant harder, faster enemies.  H.E.R.O. has structure: each level is different, grows larger, and sets the game apart.  It also sported clean, detailed graphics (detailed for the 2600, anyway) and smooth character animation.

The game's plot involves a one-man rescue operation as you race underground in search of trapped miners.  Each level has a single miner to save, trapped at the bottom of a mine shaft.  As the hero, you are equipped with a helicopter pack which enables you to fly, a limited supply of dynamite and a helmet-mounted laser.  You must fly over pits and underground pools of water, shoot deadly spiders, bats and snakes and blast away walls blocking your path.  Your suit has a limited amount of power, which acts as a timer, so you have to reach the bottom of the shaft as quickly as possible to extract the miner.

It feels less like a 2600 game and more like something you'd play on one of the home computers of the time.  In fact, it was ported to several different home computer and console systems.  My first exposure to the title was not the 2600 version, but the Commodore 64 port.  Across the different versions, gameplay and level design remain the same, but graphics we improved on.  In my opinion the Commodore 64 is the superior version as it adds greater detail; the levels look more like old, dark caverns.

The physics of the game add greatly to both the challenge and the fun.  The helicopter pack operates in a realistic manner (or as realistic a manner as one can imagine a helicopter pack operating): Once activated, the propeller begins spinning, but takes a second to actually generate lift, and then slowly increases in speed as you take off.  Likewise, if you drop off a ledge and then switch the pack on, the first effect will be that as the propeller begins to spin your descent will slow, then gradually begin to pull you upward.  The physics involve allow you to maneuver extremely well, even while they make you sweat, such as when dropping underneath a low-hanging rock, your feet just barely skimming the surface of a pool of water.

This is not an action game per-say.  There are things to shoot, but mostly because they are blocking your way.  The ultimate goal is to find your way down the shaft to the trapped miner, and as shafts grow longer and more difficult, caution must be melded with speed as you work your way downward.  It is a rewarding game, one that stresses you out one second as you fight against the clock and narrowly thread your way past deadly obstacles, but then makes you feel so dang good once you finally make it and reach the miner with moments to spare.  It's a true "just one more level" kind of game.

As for longevity, the game (in its Atari 2600 form at least) has been included on numerous complications.  It can be played on iOS as part of the Activision Anthology and XBox 360 as part of the Microsoft Game Room.  It's a real underdog title that doesn't get a lot of attention, and yet seems to be in no danger of disappearing from the gaming world any time soon.