Genre: Puzzle
Developer: Mattel Electronics
Publisher: Mattel Electronics
Year: 1982
Platform: Intellivision
Loco-Motion is a puzzle-style arcade game developed and published by Mattel Electronics for the Intellivision in 1982. The game is based on the 1982 Konami arcade title of the same name and was released in North America by Centuri. In Loco-Motion, players are tasked with guiding a continuously moving train to pick up passengers at stations located around the edge of the playfield. The train’s path is determined by shifting adjacent track pieces into an empty space within a grid, similar to a sliding puzzle mechanic.
The game features a tracing light that highlights the train’s current path, allowing players to plan their moves strategically. An accelerator button increases the train’s speed, while a panic button swaps the current track piece with a random one from the grid. These mechanics add layers of strategy and urgency to the gameplay. Players must avoid running into dead-end barricades, barriers at the playfield edge, or the edge of the empty square, as doing so results in the loss of a life.
As players progress through levels, the difficulty increases with more complex track layouts and additional obstacles. Special track pieces with multiple exits introduce randomness, requiring players to adapt their strategies. Bonus points are awarded for collecting passengers before a countdown timer reaches zero, and for crossing certain track segments. Completing a level without any stations being destroyed earns a “Perfect Clear” bonus.
