Play H.E.R.O. Online

Game Overview

H.E.R.O. on the Atari 2600 throws you into these deep, claustrophobic mines where everything wants to kill you—bats dive at you, spiders skitter across the ceiling, and lava bubbles up from below. You play as Roderick Hero (yes, that’s his actual name), equipped with a dinky little helmet laser and a jetpack that feels way too flimsy for the job. The first few levels ease you in, but soon you’re threading through tight tunnels, rationing dynamite to blast through walls, and praying your energy doesn’t run out before you find the stranded miners.

The jetpack is both your best friend and worst enemy—it’s floaty and awkward, but without it, you’d be spider food in seconds. And those dynamite sticks? You’ll panic-toss them at walls only to realize you just trapped yourself with a bat swarm. Later levels get brutal, with lava mazes and creatures that seem to spawn right where you need to go. It’s one of those games where you’ll fail a lot, but each run teaches you something new about the mine’s layout.

Honestly, it’s impressive how much tension they packed into such a simple concept. Just watch out for the spiders—they’re faster than they look.