Dracula the Undead (video game)

Last updated
Dracula the Undead
Dracula the Undead Cover.jpg
Cover art in all regions
Developer(s) Hand Made Software
Publisher(s) Atari Corporation
Composer(s) Paul Tonge
Tony Williams
Platform(s) Atari Lynx
Release
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Dracula - The Undead is a video game released in 1991 for the Atari Lynx handheld system. The game is loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and features Bram Stoker in the story as the narrator.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot. LYNX Dracula the Undead.png
Gameplay screenshot.

The player takes on the role of Jonathan Harker as he explores and later tries to escape from Dracula's Castle. [1] In the game you wake up and can explore the castle by moving from room to room. The game controls are like those of a point and click, where you can interact with a certain number items in each room. You can also talk and interact with other NPC characters. Certain choices can end with death and a The End screen, requiring the player to start over. The player's ability to achieve the best ending depends his or her ability to take notes of important facts and events with Harker's notebook.

Plot

The game loosely follows chapters two through four of the original novel. Jonathan Harker, a solicitor, awakens and meets Count Dracula. Dracula informs Harker that he will be out for the day and they will conduct their business later that evening. Dracula invites Harker to explore the castle except for rooms which are locked, then leaves. Harker is later astonished to look out a window to see Dracula climbing down the castle wall.

Harker climbs out of the window and scrambles across the castle wall to another window. He explores another part of the castle where he finds papers detailing Dracula's plans for settling in London and the maze-like catacombs underneath the castle. After finding Dracula's coffin, Harker retreats back across the wall.

After opening a stuck door to another room he falls asleep and is visited by three beautiful women. They move to attack him but Dracula stops them, telling them they can have him tomorrow after he is done with Harker. Harker awakens the next day to himself locked in his bedroom. Dracula is gone. Harker is now desperate to escape the castle, for if he does not then the brides of Dracula will find him and give him their "voluptuous kisses."

Development and release

An updated port of Dracula the Undead for the Atari Jaguar CD was in development by Atari Corporation and was first announced in 1994, but it never released. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Reception

Robert A. Jung reviewed the game which was later published to IGN. In his final verdict he wrote "Dracula the Undead offers traditional adventuring fare with an unusual premise, with enough challenge and appeal to satisfy most adventurers. The inability to save a game in progress hurts, but dedicated players who are willing to live with this flaw are encouraged to give the Count a visit." He then gave a score of 7 out of 10. [10] Game Zero Magazine also reviewed the game giving a score of 70 out of 100. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zool 2</i> 1993 video game

Zool 2 is a side-scrolling platform video game originally developed by The Warp Factory and published by Gremlin Graphics for the Amiga in November 1993. It is the sequel to the original Zool, which was released earlier in 1992 on various platforms.

<i>Raiden</i> (video game) Vertically scrolling shooter arcade game released in 1990

Raiden is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and published by Tecmo in Japan. The game's story takes place in the year 2090, when an alien species known as the Crystals invaded Earth. Players assume the roles of the Vanquish Crystal Defense pilot duo, taking control of two state of the art Fighting Thunders aircraft to defeat the Crystals and save the Earth.

<i>Pinball Fantasies</i> 1992 video game

Pinball Fantasies is a 1992 pinball video game originally developed by Digital Illusions and published by 21st Century Entertainment in Europe for the Amiga home computers. It is the sequel to Pinball Dreams, which was released earlier in the same year on multiple platforms. In the game, players can choose between any of the four available playfields, both of which have their own thematic and main objectives in order to obtain the highest score possible.

<i>The Humans</i> (video game) 1992 video game

The Humans is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992. It was later ported to other home computers and consoles. The goal of the game varies per level but usually revolves around bringing at least one of the player-controlled humans to the designated end area marked by a colored tile. Doing this requires players taking advantage of the tribe's ability to build a human ladder and use tools such as spears, torches, wheels, ropes and a witch doctor in later levels.

<i>Blue Lightning</i> (1989 video game) 1989 combat flight simulation game

Blue Lightning is a 1989 combat flight simulation video game developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was also released in Japan on December 1 of the same year, where it was instead distributed by Mumin Corporation. It was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America and was jointly written by Stephen Landrum, lead programmer Brian Bowhay, who also developed the Lynx hardware and Chip's Challenge creator Chuck Sommerville.

<i>Kasumi Ninja</i> 1994 video game

Kasumi Ninja is a fighting game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. It was first released in North America and Europe on December 21, 1994, and was later released in Japan by Messe Sanoh in July 1995. It was the first fighting title to be released for the Jaguar, and unsuccessfully sought to capitalize on the trend of ultra violent fighting games started by Midway Games's Mortal Kombat in 1992.

<i>Bram Stokers Dracula</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1993 video game released for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Game Boy, Master System, Sega CD, Game Gear, MS-DOS, and Amiga. It is based on the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula which in turn is based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Most versions are platform games. The Sega CD and Amiga releases are beat 'em ups, and the MS-DOS version is a first-person shooter. The Amiga version was released in 1994 for North America and Europe. A CD-ROM version for MS-DOS compatible operating systems was released in 1995.

<i>Ultra Vortek</i> 1995 video game

Ultra Vortek is a fighting game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in North America and Europe on September 5, 1995. It was the second fighting game released for the Jaguar after Kasumi Ninja and unsuccessfully sought to capitalize on the trend of violent fighting games started by Midway Games's Mortal Kombat in 1992. It was the only officially released game that supports the unreleased Jaguar Voice Modem peripheral for online play.

<i>Brett Hull Hockey</i> 1994 video game

Brett Hull Hockey is an ice hockey video game developed by Radical Entertainment and originally published by Accolade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in January 1994. It prominently features former Canadian-American NHL player Brett Hull and is officially licensed from the NHL Players' Association.

<i>Hover Strike</i> 1995 video game

Hover Strike is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar first in North America in April 1995, then in Europe on May of the same year and later in Japan around the same period, where it was published instead by Messe Sansao. Taking place in a future where the Terrakian Pirates have seized control of a colonized foreign planet, players are tasked with piloting an armed hovercraft vehicle in an attempt of rescuing the captured colonists and obliterate the invading alien forces from the surface of the planet before the Federation armada arrives.

<i>Robinsons Requiem</i> 1994 video game

Robinson's Requiem is a 1994 survival simulation video game developed and originally published by Silmarils exclusively in Europe for the Atari ST, Atari Falcon and Amiga. Taking place in the 22nd century where Earth and colonized planets are facing overpopulation, the game sees players assuming the role of Robinson officer Trepliev 1 from the Alien World Exploration department in his attempt to escape imprisonment from the fictional planet of Zarathustra alongside another AWE Robinson named Nina1, while facing several hostile creatures and dangers in order to survive.

<i>Manchester United Europe</i> 1991 video game

Manchester United Europe, developed by Krisalis Software, is the follow-up to the 1990 video game Manchester United which had sold over 100,000 copies. The Atari Lynx port was released under the title of European Soccer Challenge.

<i>Awesome Golf</i> 1991 video game

Awesome Golf is a 1991 golf video game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx. The first project to be created by Hand Made Software, players have the choice to compete either solo or against other human players using the console's ComLynx system on matches set in any of the three available countries across any of the game modes available. Its gameplay mainly uses a two-button configuration.

<i>BattleWheels</i> 1993 video game

BattleWheels is a 1993 first-person vehicular combat video game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx. The first project to be created by Beyond Games, the game takes place in a dystopian future where civilization has been reduced to a Mad Max-inspired landscape and players take the wheel of heavily armed and armored cars called Hi-Tech in order to compete against either computer-controlled opponents or other human players using the Lynx's ComLynx system in matches set across multiple post-apocalyptic locations.

<i>Hockey</i> (1992 video game) 1992 video game

Hockey is an ice hockey video game for the Atari Lynx, developed by American studio Alpine Software and published by Atari Corporation.

<i>FlipOut!</i> 1995 video game

FlipOut! is a tile-matching puzzle video game developed by Gorilla Systems Corporation and originally published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar in Europe on July 7, 1995 and later in North America on August 28 of the same year. It is one of the first titles developed by Gorilla Systems.

<i>Checkered Flag</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

Checkered Flag is a 1994 racing video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. It is a conversion of the 1991 Atari Lynx title of the same name. In the game, the player controls a Formula One car competing against computer-controlled opponents in races across multiple locations. Gameplay consists of three modes, and the player can choose various weather conditions or customize the vehicle's characteristics.

<i>Vid Grid</i> 1994 video game

Vid Grid is a tile-matching full motion video puzzle game originally developed by Geffen Records and published by Jasmine Multimedia Publishing for Windows on September 13, 1994. It was later ported to the Atari Jaguar CD by High Voltage Software in 1995, where it was included along with Blue Lightning as one of the pack-in games for the peripheral when it launched. It is the first entry in the series of the same name.

<i>Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands</i> 1995 video game

Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar CD in North America and Europe on October 23, 1995. A remake of Hover Strike for the Atari Jaguar, it was created by most of the original team who worked on the original game and both titles share the same overall plot, where the Terrakian alien race seized control of a colonized foreign planet and players are tasked with piloting an armed hovercraft vehicle in an attempt of rescuing the captured colonists and destroy the invading forces from the planet's surface before the Federation armada arrives.

Legions of the Undead is an unreleased action role-playing video game that was in development by Rebellion Developments and originally planned to be published by Atari Corporation on a scheduled Q3, 1995 release date for the Atari Jaguar. It was also intended to be released for the Windows and PlayStation.

References

  1. Dracula the Undead game manual (Atari Lynx, US)
  2. "News - La Jaguar ronronne - On attend sur Jaguar". Génération 4 (in French). No. 64. Computec Media France. March 1994. p. 42. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  3. "News - Update - Around the corner... - Expected Release Dates". ST Format . No. 56. Future plc. March 1994. p. 48. Archived from the original on 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  4. "News - Update - New Jaguar Development System Released - Expected Release Dates". ST Format . No. 57. Future plc. April 1994. p. 50. Archived from the original on 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  5. "Warpzone - Jaguar - Angekündigte Jaguar-Spiele". Video Games (in German). No. 32. Future-Verlag. July 1994. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  6. "News - Jaguar Plugs into the CD revolution - Jaguar CD games in development". Edge . No. 20. May 1995. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  7. "Breaking - Jaguar Plugs into the CD revolution - Jaguar CD games in development". Next Generation . No. 6. Imagine Media. June 1995. pp. 18–19. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  8. Knight, Kyle (1998). "Dracula the Undead - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  9. Larry, Scary (February 1993). "Lynx ProReview: Dracula the Undead". GamePro . No. 43. IDG. p. 164.
  10. 1 2 Jung, Robert A. (July 7, 1999). "Dracula the Undead - Bram Stoker's novel is given life on Lynx. Robert A. Jung's full review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  11. Souibgui, Sami; Axel (February 1993). "Lynx Review - Dracula the Undead". Consoles + (in French). No. 17. M.E.R.7. pp. 116–117. Archived from the original on 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  12. Villapando, Edward (July 1993). "Random Reviews Lite - Dracula". Digital Press - The Bio-Degradable Source For Videogamers. No. 12. Joe Santulli. p. 18.
  13. Douglas, Jim (February 1993). "Reviews (Lynx/Amiga) - Dracula". GamesMaster . No. 2. Future Publishing. p. 91.
  14. 1 2 Man, Ferrari; ????; R.I.P.; Salamander (March 1993). "The Final Word game review - Dracula, The Undead -- Atari". Game Zero Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 6. Game Zero. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2020-02-19.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. Nini, Nourdine (February 1993). "Lynx: Dracula the Undead - Dracula Mon Saigneur!". Joypad (in French). No. 17. Yellow Media. pp. 116–117. Archived from the original on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  16. "Dracula the Undead". Lynx User. No. 6. The Hide-Out. February 1993. p. 11.
  17. Stoschek, Monika (April 1993). "Konsolen Power - Handhelds: Atari Lynx - Dracula the Undead". Megablast (in German). No. 2. Joker-Verlag. p. 102.
  18. Weidner, Martin (June 1993). "Test Atari Lynx - Dracula". Mega Fun (in German). No. 9. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. p. 94.
  19. Scamps, Olivier (March–April 1993). "Tests De Jeux - Lynx: Dracula the Undead". Player One (in French). No. 29. Média Système Édition. p. 112.
  20. Neumayer, Manfred (May 1993). "Rom Check - Lynx - Dracula". Video Games (in German). No. 18. Future-Verlag. p. 96.
  21. Bieniek, Chris (February 1993). "Gaming on the Go - Dracula the Undead (Atari) For the Atari Lynx". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment . No. 49. Larry Flynt Publications.