- This article is about the video game. There is also a superhero comic titled H.E.R.O. (comics).
| H.E.R.O. | |
|---|---|
Screenshot of Commodore 64 version of H.E.R.O.
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| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | John Van Ryzin |
| Released | 1984 |
| Genre | Platform game |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Sega SG-1000 |
| Media | Cartridge, cassette |
| Input methods | Gamepad, joystick, keyboard |
H.E.R.O. is a computer and video game published by Activision in 1984. It was developed for the Atari 2600 and later ported to the Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MSX, SEGA SG-1000 and ZX Spectrum. H.E.R.O., supposedly meaning "Helicopter Equipped Rescue Operation" (or "Human Extraction and Rescue Operation"), is a platform-style action game, set in a system of underground mines. The player's character (known as Roderick Hero according to the game inlay) in H.E.R.O. is a rescue worker with a small helicopter-type backpack, enabling him to fly around the underground mine shafts and caverns. For defense, the character is equipped with a laser beam and a finite supply of sticks of dynamite. The object of each level is to rescue a trapped mine worker at the extreme end of the mine shaft. Dangers along the way include various cave-dwelling animals (such as bats, snakes, spiders and even butterflies) and on later levels, some kind of red ore (magma, on the 8-bit systems) which is lethal to the touch, and water at the bottom of the shaft. The game graphics and mechanics are substantially the same in all versions, with graphic improvements in the subsequent ports made after the 2600 version. The Atari 5200 version offers a different gameplay, given the lack of self-centering on the system joystick. The SG-1000 version is different from all others, because the game was reprogrammed by SEGA. Although the level mapping is the same, Roderick uses a Jetpack instead of the helicopter-type backpack. The game graphics were also all redrawn.
