How to play Lasercade online
- Move your laser: arrow keys
- Fire: Space bar
- Start a game: F12 (Reset)
- Number of mirrors: F4 (the left difficulty switch)
Gameplay
The gallery is drawn at an angle, with your laser at the front and the targets in the back section. Hit them all before the clock runs out. Three mirrors turn in the middle section: hit one while it faces you and the beam bounces back, costing time; hit it from behind and it breaks for the rest of the round.
Each of the 16 rounds adds a smaller target and gives you less time, and clearing one earns bonus points with a show of trick shooting. Between rounds you can shoot at one of a candelabra’s three flames before they burn down. Finishing all 16 rounds earns a large bonus.
Tips
- Break the mirrors first. Shoot each one when its back is turned; it stays gone for the round.
- Start with fewer mirrors. Use F4 while you learn the timing.
- Don’t count on the candles. Collision detection there is rough, so hits are mostly luck.
Why Lasercade was never released
Videa was founded in 1982 by former Atari staff Roger Hector, Howard Delman and Ed Rotberg. It made two 2600 games, Lasercade and Meltdown, and tried to have them released by 20th Century Fox’s video game label. The deal fell through and neither game reached the shops. Videa was then bought by Nolan Bushnell’s Pizza Time Theatre company, which wanted a quick way back into arcade games.
AtariProtos praises the graphics as an impressive use of the 2600 but calls Lasercade closer to a tech demo than a full game. In 2007, reproduction cartridges with a box and manual were made with Lee Actor’s permission.
