Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
I hope you are all ready for a LucasArts classic!
This game was developed and published by LucasArts in 1992. This game is their second Indiana Jones game, following the extremely successful Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). It falls just after Secret of Monkey Island 2 and Day of the Tentacle on the LucasArts chronology, during a real golden age for them. While I don’t think this is the best LucasArts game I’ve played, I do think it is somewhat under-appreciated and overlooked by newer fans.
Mechanically, it plays like any other LucasArts game. You’ve got that classic SCUMM experience–clickable inventory, verb wall, etc. Its also another pretty short one. I think it took me about 8 hours to complete it and I tried to find puzzles myself before going right to the guide.
The thing this game does differently than its predecessors, is it introduces differing paths through the game’s story- Fists, Wits, and Team paths. For my playthrough, I did the Wits path, though I have watched sections of playthroughs that chose the other paths and they do all have their own charm.
The Team path focuses on Indy’s compatriot, Sophia Hapgood, and working together with her, Wits is the most puzzle-oriented, and Fists focuses on physically manipulating the environment to thwart enemies.
I really appreciated that the plotline of this story was original. I was worried that it not being a Indiana Jones movie prior that it would not feel true to the world of Indiana Jones but I think this game fits right in. The story has all the staples of the Indiana Jones classics, for better and for worse– Globe-trotting puzzle-solving, drama with some Nazis, one-liners and quips, cartoonish exploration of world cultures, Love-interest sidekick (who, of course, gets captured), its all here!! But really, it was fun to just go with it and not know what was going to happen next.
The voice acting is really great for this kind of game and at this time. It adds a lot to the silly writing and jokes and I think lends to this game aging slightly better than it might’ve otherwise.
I recommend using a guide for this game as some of the puzzles are a little clunky and since there are multiple paths, its sometimes hard to know what thing you’re supposed to be doing and when. There’s also a somewhat annoying labyrinth section about 2/3 of the way into the game and who has time for that?
If you’re interested in learning more about the development of the game, I listened to this interview with Noah Falstein, one of the game’s 3 creators. One notable fun fact I learned was that they received multiple hate letters regarding the aforementioned labyrinth section!
Also, you will probably also need SCUMMVM to play this game but its free to download.
If you play the game, let me know what you think of it!
Right now, its only $2.09 on GOG!
And next week, I promise I’m not just going to do another point and click adventure!
