How to play Tunnel Runner online
- Run forward / backward: up and down arrow keys (hold them longer to run faster)
- Turn left or right: left and right arrow keys
- View the map: Space bar
- Choose Game 1 or Game 2: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start a game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
Each level, called a Run, is a maze seen from inside. To escape, you must first find the key hidden somewhere in the tunnels, then reach an exit door before the time meter runs out. If time is up when you escape, you have to play the same Run again without scoring for it. Later Runs give you less time, and the wall colours change from maze to maze; in the hardest ones the walls turn black and only the floor is visible.
The Zots roam the corridors looking for you. You have no weapon, so the only defence is to avoid them. There are more of them in later Runs (up to four), they get faster, and eventually they can even pass through walls, which the manual blames on “Zot magic”. You start with three lives. When a Zot catches you, you lose a life and reappear somewhere else in the maze.
Several kinds of doors are marked with arrows. The normal exit (one up arrow) takes you to the next Run, and a double up arrow skips ahead two Runs; both need the key. Side-arrow doors teleport you to a random spot in the maze, and double down arrows send you back a Run. Zots cannot use doors.
You score points for every new room you enter, and the value rises with the Run number. There is also a bonus for escaping quickly. Every 1,000 points earns an extra life, up to four in reserve.
Game 1 and Game 2
Game 1 uses fixed mazes that are the same every time you play, so you can learn them. Game 2 generates the mazes at random, so each game is different.
Tips
- Check the map, but not for long. You stand still while it is open and the Zots keep moving.
- Watch the compass. Turns happen without animation, so it is easy to lose your bearings. A small arrow on the time display shows which way you are facing.
- Control your speed. The longer you hold forward, the faster you run, and fast running makes corners hard to take. Ease off before turning.
- Listen. The sound tells you a Zot is near before you see it.
- Use the emergency teleport. Hold Space and rotate the joystick (the arrow keys) in a circle to jump to a random spot. It works once per Run and is not in the manual.
Secrets and history
Tunnel Runner was one of CBS Electronics’ “RAM Plus” cartridges, which carried an extra 256 bytes of memory beyond the 2600’s own 128 bytes. Only a few games used it, including Mountain King. The game was changed shortly before release, so CBS included an extra sheet correcting errors in the manual.
The programmer left his mark. The small symbol on the title screen is the letters “db”, for Dick Balaska. From Run 9 onwards, each maze also hides a secret door marked “cb db”, his and his wife’s initials. Run straight up to it after spotting it and you collect a bonus of up to 1,000 points.
Similar games to play next
- Mountain King – CBS Electronics’ other RAM Plus game, with caverns to explore
- Entombed – escape a scrolling maze before the zombies catch you
- Haunted House – explore a dark mansion while avoiding its monsters
- Maze Craze – Atari’s maze race, with random mazes and many variations