''Lost Tomb'' is an overhead-view

multidirectional shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

written by Dan Lee and released in arcades by Stern Electronics in 1982. Armed with a gun and whip, the player uses dual joystick controls to explore the chambers of a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

looking for

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions le ...

and fighting off

mummies A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...

and other occupants. The game was Stern's first arcade conversion kit and was intended for use with earlier machines from the company. In 1984,

Datasoft Datasoft, Inc. (also written as DataSoft and Data Soft) was a software developer and publisher for home computers founded in 1980 by Pat Ketchum and based out of Chatsworth, California. Datasoft primarily published video games, including home port ...

published home ports for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and a self-booting disk for

IBM PC compatible IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM Personal Computer, IBM PC, IBM Personal Computer XT, XT, and IBM Personal Computer/AT, AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such ...

Gameplay

The object of the game is to move through the rooms of the

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

, from the top of the pyramid to the base, collecting treasure and looking for the exit. Between rooms is an isometric-view hallway, where the player must run for the entrance of the next room before being attacked by

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s. One joystick moves the player and the other fires the

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

in a dual-stick shooter control mechanism. Pressing a button uses the whip, which destroys both nearby enemies and walls. Whips are limited.

Reception

In 1983, ''Video Games'' magazine called ''Lost Tomb'', "the best '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''-inspired game so far to hit the scene." The reviewer also commented, "the graphics are a bit murky" and "the play is overly complex for most novice arcade enthusiasts."

References

External links

*{{KLOV game, name=Lost Tomb, id=8456
''Lost Tomb''
at Atari Mania 1982 video games Arcade video games Apple II games Atari 8-bit family games Commodore 64 games Datasoft games Twin-stick shooters Video games developed in the United States Multiplayer and single-player video games