lasso

lasso

Arcade, 1982

Here’s another early SNK game that’s just bristling with fun ideas. Life on a ranch isn’t easy and it’s particularly trying for the protagonist of Lasso. Not only does he have to corral a set number of animals on each stage, but he also has to deal with a large number of wolves. Add in a number of scattered inanimate objects, as well as a fire-breathing dragon (at least that’s what we think it is) and your hero’s task becomes very hard indeed.

Lassoing animals takes a while to master, as you’ll first need to flick your rope out with a press of the fire button and then stab it again in order to catch a critter. Catch them all and you’ll head to the next, trickier stage. You can also clear levels by shooting a set number of wolves, meaning Lasso is quite nicely structured in how you complete your overall objective.