July 2020
Lupin, the protagonist robber in Lock N’ Chase is always depicted as a fancy little man. I like to pretend he’s the owner of the banks because how else does he know how to open and close barricades in the banks? The guards just have to put up with this rich buttles shenanigans. –Rick V.
Rick V. is one of the O.G. Yokoi Kids, does punk things for Razorcake magazine and Whatchubeenlisteningto?, and draws crude comics. itsmerickv.com
Ricky Vigil plays video games and makes comics. One time he came in first place on Tetris 99! You can see more of his art at rickyvigil.com
Nolen Tabner is an illustrator and web and game designer from L.A. He never looks at social media. nolentabner.com
I once heard an anecdote talking about how after the success of the first Die Hard every new action movie was pitched to executives as “Die Hard but _____.” Die Hard but on a boat. Die Hard but in a mall. Die Hard but in space. I feel the same could be said for Pac-Man and it’s countless clones. “Pac-Man, but you’re a piranha,” for example. Well, Lock ‘n’ Chase is Pac-Man, but you’re a bank robber.
That’s not to say Lock ‘n’ Chase is bad by any means. The game has clean graphics, smooth controls, and great background music. However, the game’s one big drawback is that I suck at Pac-Man-like maze games. I really enjoy playing Lock ‘n’ Chase. The music lifts my spirits and the character sprites are my favorite Game Boy aesthetic – cute and simple (see: Kirby). My brain just doesn’t work in the way it needs to work to get good at these kinds of games. I struggled to get past stage 1-3 but had no problem retrying over and over because the game is that fun. That was until the Yokoi Kids Twitter pointed out a gameplay mechanic that I had no idea existed. Apparently, you can block off certain parts of the maze as you pass through, effectively locking the guards behind you. Hence the “Lock” in “Lock ‘n’ Chase.” I thought this was a game-changer for sure. Now I would be able to blast through the game, evading every guard, and finishing the game a very rich blob-person. Well, it didn’t help. I still suck. I still can’t get past 1-3.
Lock ‘n’ Chase, although I will likely never be able to beat it, is a very good game. I can confidently say that the Game Boy version is one of the best Pac-Man clones I’ve ever played. Whether you suck at Pac-Man or not, I highly recommend Lock ‘n’ Chase.
Follow Scott on Twitter @MothrasBoyfrnd .
Why is it that Data East can’t make a competent port to any other system than the Game Boy? Lock N’ Chase is a quality arcade puzzle game where you play a round boy going through a puzzle avoiding monsters. I know, that sounds like every other arcade Pac Man clone of that era. But this one is good, I promise.
It was picked by Kyle F.who maybe had no idea this was released in July of 1990. So we are convincing you to play the Game Boy release of Lock N’ Chase on its 30th birthday! Neat huh?
You can get it for about $5-$7 or get it from the 3DS store. Play it and tell us what you think! We have had very little contributions lately so get on that.
Yokoi Kids 