Lupid III (Video Game)
Lupin III by Taito
- Publication date 1980
- Released: Apr, 1980
- Platform: Arcade
- Developed by Taito Corporation
- Published by Taito Corporation
- Interface: Direct control
- Setting: Contemporary
- Visual: Fixed / flip-screen
- Gameplay: Arcade, Stealth
- Perspective: Side view
- Genre: Action
Description
Lupin III is a cat-burglar, whose adventures are chronicled in a Japanese manga (originally published 1967) and various anime TV series and films. In this arcade game, based on the character, you control Lupin as he liberates bags of money from the top of a skyscraper and hides them in his stash.
The building is represented by a rectangular maze, which is traversed by security guards, policemen and guard-dogs, each of which has slightly different movement patterns. At the very top of the screen are eight niches containing money bags. Your goal is to carry these bags, one or two at a time, from the top to a room at the bottom without being caught. Carrying two bags decreases your walking speed slightly, so may not be a good strategy for later levels. Once all eight bags have been extracted, the level is completed and you are shown a scene where you take your ill-gotten loot back to your wife and steadily growing family.
Each level has exactly the same lay-out, but your opponents become faster and more numerous at later levels. To assist your escape from some tight situations, you are given "magic" points at the start of each level. These allow you to teleport a limited number of times to a random location on the screen. However, once you have been caught three times by the law, then you are taken to jail and your game is over.