Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures

Last updated
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures Coverart.png
The boxart for Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures features a still of Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom .
Developer(s) LucasArts
Publisher(s) LucasArts
Director(s) Hal Barwood
Designer(s) Hal Barwood
Wayne Cline
Paul D. LeFevre
Tom Payne
Programmer(s) Paul D. LeFevre
Artist(s) Tom Payne
Writer(s) Hal Barwood
Wayne Cline
Composer(s) Clint Bajakian
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh
ReleaseApril 1996 [1]
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures is a 1996 adventure video game. Desktop Adventures was made to run in a windowed form on the desktop to limit memory use and allow the player to perform other tasks. This game was the first Desktop Adventures game, and was followed by Star Wars: Yoda Stories in 1997.

Contents

Gameplay

Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures gameplay. Note the top-down view along with the directional arrows and round health meter in the lower right. Indiana-Jones-Desktop-Adventures-preview-screenshot.png
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures gameplay. Note the top-down view along with the directional arrows and round health meter in the lower right.

The game is set in mid-1930s Middle America with a variety of characters, puzzles, and outcomes. The plot, size, and direction of each game are randomly generated at the start, with locations and items being different every time. However each storyline has a pre-scripted resolution, with 15 different types of scenario in total, [2] each designed to last for around an hour. [3]

The playing area is displayed from an overhead perspective. The player-controlled Indiana Jones is limited to orthogonal movement, which is controlled with the arrow keys or with the mouse. The mouse is also used for other actions, such as managing inventory and using weapons. Each scenario is randomly generated by selecting each element (such as the item Indiana Jones must collect at each stage of the adventure) from a set of possibilities. After winning, the player can continue to explore the setting.

Reception

Trent Ward of GameSpot reviewed the game as having low-quality visuals and audio but being possibly useful for passing time. [5] Billboard magazine mentioned the game's randomly generated environment and its target audience of "gamers on the go", and deemed it "An unambitious title that will rope you in." [11] A Next Generation reviewer noted that the randomly generated scenarios are essentially repetitive, and complained at the fact that the player character cannot shoot diagonally but enemies can. He concluded, "All this said, however, the game only costs around 12 bucks and if you don't expect too much, it is pretty fun. The underlying idea is sound, and if you don't mind repetition, check it out." [6]

Charles Ardai of Computer Gaming World wrote, "For a genius, George Lucas sure has a lot of bad ideas. [...] Some time ago, someone from his computer game division must have come to him and said, 'Hey, let's put out a really simple, randomly generated RPG-style adventure game, stick a whip in the hand of the main character, use the Indiana Jones name–and make it look really ugly.' And Lucas must have said, 'Sounds good to me.'" Ardai wrote that Indiana Jones fans may enjoy the theme music featured in the game, but concluded that the game was, "Embarrassingly retro," with its "overly simplistic gameplay; crude visuals and sound" and "ludicrous ethnic stereotypes." [4]

Rob Tribe of PC Zone called it "very, very addictive," though like Next Generation, he criticized the fact that the player character cannot shoot diagonally but enemies can. [9] Shane Mooney of PC Games found it repetitive and expected a better game from LucasArts. [8]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Indy's Desktop Adventures the 15th-worst computer game ever released. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Day of the Tentacle</i> 1993 adventure game

Day of the Tentacle, also known as Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle, is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game Maniac Mansion. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli and his friends Hoagie and Laverne as they attempt to stop the evil Purple Tentacle - a sentient, disembodied tentacle - from taking over the world. The player takes control of the trio and solves puzzles while using time travel to explore different periods of history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucasfilm Games</span> American video game producer

Lucasfilm Games is an American video game licensor and a subsidiary of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a larger 1990 reorganization of the Lucasfilm divisions, the video game development division was grouped and rebranded as part of LucasArts. LucasArts became known for its line of adventure games based on its SCUMM engine in the 1990s, including Maniac Mansion, the Monkey Island series, and several Indiana Jones titles. A number of influential game developers were alumni of LucasArts from this period, including Brian Moriarty, Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman. Later, as Lucasfilm regained control over its licensing over the Star Wars franchise, LucasArts produced numerous action-based Star Wars titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while dropping adventure game development due to waning interest in the genre.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure</i> 1989 video game

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is a graphic adventure game, released in 1989 by Lucasfilm Games, coinciding with the release of the film of the same name. It was the third game to use the SCUMM engine.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis</i> 1992 video game

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by LucasArts and released in June 1992 for Amiga, DOS, and Macintosh. Almost a year later, it was reissued on CD-ROM as an enhanced "talkie" edition with full voice acting and digitized sound effects. The seventh game to use the script language SCUMM, Fate of Atlantis has the player explore environments and interact with objects and characters by using commands constructed with predetermined verbs. It features three unique paths to select, influencing story development, gameplay and puzzles. The game used an updated SCUMM engine and required a 286-based PC, although it still runs as a real-mode DOS application. The CD talkie version required EMS memory enabled to load the voice data.

<i>Sam & Max Hit the Road</i> 1993 video game

Sam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure video game released by LucasArts during the company's adventure games era. The game was originally released for MS-DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release included compatibility with Windows. The game is based on the comic characters of Sam and Max, the "Freelance Police", an anthropomorphic dog and "hyperkinetic rabbity thing". The characters, created by Steve Purcell, originally debuted in a 1987 comic book series. Based on the 1989 Sam & Max comic On the Road, the duo take the case of a missing bigfoot from a nearby carnival, traveling to many American culture tourist sites to solve the mystery.

<i>Full Throttle</i> (1995 video game) 1995 video game

Full Throttle is a 1995 graphic adventure video game developed by LucasArts and designed by Tim Schafer. It was Schafer's first game as project lead and head writer and designer, after having worked on other LucasArts titles including The Secret of Monkey Island (1990), Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991), and Day of the Tentacle (1993). Set in the near future, the story follows motorcycle gang leader Ben, who must clear his name after being framed for the murder of a beloved motorcycle manufacturing mogul. A remastered version of the game was developed by Double Fine Productions and was released in April 2017 for Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, with later ports for iOS and Xbox One.

<i>The Dig</i> (video game) 1995 video game

The Dig is a 1995 point-and-click adventure game developed by LucasArts for PC and Macintosh. Like other LucasArts adventure games, it uses the SCUMM video game engine. It features a full voice-acting cast, including voice actors Robert Patrick and Steve Blum, and a digital orchestral score. The game uses a combination of drawn two-dimensional artwork and limited, pre-rendered three-dimensional clips, with the latter created by Industrial Light & Magic.

<i>Return to Zork</i> 1993 video game

Return to Zork is a 1993 graphic adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.

<i>Star Trek: Judgment Rites</i> 1993 video game

Star Trek: Judgment Rites is a computer game first produced by Interplay Productions in 1993, featuring the original cast of the classic Star Trek in a series of new adventures, including one featuring Trelane, the omnipotent child from the original episode "The Squire of Gothos". Judgment Rites uses the same MS-DOS game engine as the earlier Star Trek: 25th Anniversary; however, it had sharper graphics and sound, particularly with the CD-ROM edition. All of the initial cast members provided voices for their characters on the game in that edition. William Campbell also reprised his guest role as Trelane.

<i>Zork Nemesis</i> 1996 video game

Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands is a graphic adventure game developed by Zombie LLC, published by Activision, and released in 1996 for Windows 95, MS-DOS, and Macintosh. It is the eleventh game in the Zork series, and the first title not to be marketed under the Infocom label, while featuring a darker, less comical story within the Zork setting. The story focuses on players investigating the sudden disappearance of four prominent figures and their children to the hands of a mysterious being known as the "Nemesis", and uncovering a sinister plot during their investigations that they must thwart. The game features performances by Lauren Koslow, W. Morgan Sheppard, Allan Kolman, Stephen Macht, Paul Anthony Stewart, Merle Kennedy, and Bruce Nozick.

<i>Dungeon Hack</i> 1993 video game

Dungeon Hack is a 1993 role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations for DOS and NEC PC-9801.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine</i> 1999 action-adventure video game

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is an action-adventure video game by LucasArts released in 1999. The first 3D installment in the series, its gameplay focuses on solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and completing various platforming sections. The story is set in 1947, after the events of Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix, and puts the eponymous protagonist, the adventurer Indiana Jones, against the Soviet Union. In a race for a mythological Babylonian power source, he joins forces with the Central Intelligence Agency and collects four pieces of the Infernal Machine, an ancient device that allegedly opens a portal to another dimension.

<i>Star Wars: Yoda Stories</i> 1997 video game

Star Wars: Yoda Stories is a 1997 adventure video game based on the Star Wars franchise developed by LucasArts. The game is the second and last title in LucasArts' Desktop Adventures series, preceded by Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures. The game was released in March 1997 for Microsoft Windows and ported to Game Boy Color by Torus Games in December 1999.

<i>Rama</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Rama is a point and click adventure game, developed and published by Sierra On-Line, and released on DOS and Microsoft Windows in 1996; PlayStation version was released in 1998, but exclusively in Japan. The game is based upon Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II, combining elements of their plots with a story that sees the player assuming the role of a replacement crew member for an expedition to investigate an interstellar ship and uncover its mysteries.

<i>I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream</i> (video game) 1995 video game

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a 1995 point-and-click adventure horror game developed by Cyberdreams and The Dreamers Guild, co-designed by Harlan Ellison, published by Cyberdreams and distributed by MGM Interactive. The game is based on Ellison's short story of the same title. It takes place in a dystopian world where a mastermind artificial intelligence named "AM" has destroyed all of humanity except for five people, whom it has been keeping alive and torturing for the past 109 years by constructing metaphorical adventures based on each character's fatal flaws. The player interacts with the game by making decisions through ethical dilemmas that deal with issues such as insanity, rape, paranoia, and genocide.

<i>Torins Passage</i> 1995 video game

Torin's Passage is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1995. The game was designed by Al Lowe, author of the Leisure Suit Larry series.

<i>Normality</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Normality is a 3D graphic adventure, released in June 1996 by Gremlin Interactive. All cut-scenes in the game are pre-rendered. The game's engine was later used in the game Realms of the Haunting. It was re-released in 2011 with Microsoft Windows support on GOG.com, with macOS support following in 2013 and Linux support in 2014.

<i>Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall</i> 1995 video game

Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall is a 1995 action-adventure role-playing video game by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It was re-released in 2013 on GOG.com.

<i>Blue Force</i> 1993 video game

Blue Force is an adventure game for MS-DOS released in 1993 by former Police Quest designer Jim Walls.

<i>Pathway</i> (video game) 2019 video game

Pathway is tactical role playing video game developed by Robotality and published by Chucklefish in 2019. Players fight Nazis in tactical combat to recover occult artifacts in an Indiana Jones-style scenario.

References

  1. ↑ "20th Anniversary - History; Part Three: Broadening Horizons, 1995 – 1998". LucasArts. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Indiana Jones, Star Wars are coming to a computer near you". Sun Journal (1995 Gift Guide). Vol. 102 (Lewiston Area ed.). Lewiston, Maine. 1995-11-23. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-09-18– via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Bassave, Roy (1997-04-06). "'Yoda Stories' offers some challenges". Knight Ridder Newspapers. No. 96, 162nd Year. Dubuque, Iowa: Telegraph Herald. p. 7E. Retrieved 2024-09-18– via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 Ardai, Charles (August 1996). "A Compact Ford: Indiana Jones Meets His Doom In Desktop Adventures". Computer Gaming World . p. 128.
  5. 1 2 Ward, Trent (1996-06-27). "Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  6. 1 2 "Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures". Next Generation . No. 23. Imagine Media. November 1996. p. 281.
  7. ↑ Borovskis, Thomas (June 1996). "Indiana Jones Desktop Adventures". PC Games (in German). Germany. pp. 152–153.
  8. 1 2 Mooney, Shane. "Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures". PC Games. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
  9. 1 2 Tribe, Rob (2001-08-13). "Indiana Jones And His Desktop Adventures". PC Zone . Archived from the original on 2007-09-15.
  10. ↑ Loyola, Roman (January 1997), "The Game Room", MacUser , archived from the original on February 21, 2001, retrieved January 23, 2020
  11. ↑ Atwood, Brett (1996-06-01). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard . p. 84. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  12. ↑ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World . No. 148. pp. 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.