Herc's Adventures

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Herc's Adventures

Developer(s)	Big Ape Productions
Publisher(s)	LucasArts
Platform(s)	Sega Saturn, PlayStation
Release date	July 31, 1997 December, 1997 June 25, 1998
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	Everyone (E)
Media	1 CD-ROM

Herc's Adventures is the title of a video game released for the Sega Saturn and the PlayStation by LucasArts Entertainment in 1997.

The overhead, action adventure format was similar to Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Up to two players can pick among three ancient Greek heroes; Herc (Hercules), Atlanta (Atalanta), or Jason, who are on a quest to defeat Hades and save the Goddess of nature, Persephone.

[edit] Game play

The characters pick up various weapons and items along the game, which includes: pepper breath against bees and wasps, frost breath that froze enemies, lightning which when hurled towards a target blasts it with electrical energy from the sky, spears, boar traps, flaming spears (used against the Hydra to prevent its head from reforming), bombs, an evil taboo box which when opened released rough weather, shrink doll which miniaturizes any target and laser gun from the aliens. Items include Circe's potion which turned the player into a pig to fit into small crevices, Medusa and Minotaur's head, the golden fleece (which opened the gates of Hades' underworld and a lot more. Gyros increased your health bar, and each hero had a second strength bar that depleted whenever your character ran or picked up and carried an object. Both your health and strength need to be increased by buying lessons from a strength trainer or finding red hearts throughout the game.

The challenge in the game was often involved in using the map in order to get to a god's temple, and learn what villain you need to defeat in order to grab one of the special keys needed to enter Hades palace.

[edit] Humor

The game had plenty of cartoony humor. Your travels take you to ancient Egypt and the Amazon where you battle, among other villains, space aliens. At the end of the game when you defeat Hades you learn that he is really a giant robot and your character is then allowed to wander through a recreation of a Lucas Arts Entertainment office where you can see the men and women that created the game.

Every time you died, you were sent down to Hades' underworld and needed to fight your way to the exit in order to get a chance to continue. The more you die, the more you are sent further into the underworld.

FEATURED GODS:

Zeus. Most powerful of all the gods? Maybe so... but in this particular case, his brother Hades has him at a huge disadvantage. He has beaten him at a game, he has Persephone, and he will, if he has his way, use plague and famine to despoil the pan-Hellenic world.

Poseidon. Sea-King will help our heroes on their quest to bring down Hades. He will send the heroes to face the minotaur and give the heroes a key in exchange for the minotaur's head.

Hades. The Lord of the Underworld will, if he has his way, rule a Nation of the Dead.

Hera. For some inexplicable reason, Hera, usually described and portrayed in art as being stunningly beautiful, in this version she's horribly fat and ugly. Just the same, she will help on your quest. The heroes must give her Io, the cow from Sparta in exchange for a key.

Athena. Another goddess whose appearance and personality have both been horribly distorted for this game, she, too, will give out a heroic task to prove your worth for her help. Athena will need the head of Medusa in exchange for a key.

Dionysus. Drunk out of his mind, as can only be expected, he, like Hera, Poseidon and Athena will give you a godly challenge. Once completed, he will reward you with a key. Dionysus will send the heroes to get the grapes of Lerna guarded by the Hydra in exchange for a key.

FEATURED HEROES:

Hercules - the muscular hero who wields a wooden club which he can hurl at enemies and is extraordinarily strong (in the start of the game, Herc can already lift huge boulders and houses, unlike Jason and Atlanta, who first need to upgrade their strength with an instructor through the course of the game).

Jason - the argonaut who wields a dagger and uses a slingshot for ranged attacks.

Atlanta. - the heroine who specializes in ranged attacks using her bow and a massive, unlimited supply of arrows. Her special attack is shooting enemies vertically with a rain of arrows.

COMMON ENEMIES:

Soldiers -

Nereids.

Dryads. In mythology, dryads are lovely tree nymphs. In the game, there's nothing lovely about them; especially when they shoot you with the pistols they pack!

Bees or wasps. These insects attack anyone who comes close to their hive but can be easily be repelled by the pepper breath.

the Thief. This enemy is more of an annoyance than a threat as he can snatch items from the player (including valuable items to be exchanged for a key, like the golden fleece or medusa's head). He is encountered through the latter parts of the game.

BOSSES:

Kaldonian Boar. (Calydonian in Latin). Just like the Calydonian and Erymanthian Boars of mythos, he's just a huge and incredibly ferocious boar, even by the standards of boars, but this one also has the habit of swallowing people whole, and spitting lightning!

Minotaur. Unlike later games, which featured hoardes of minotaurs, in this one, just as in the original mythos, there is only one minotaur, and he, just as in the original mythos, lives in a labyrinth on the Island of the Black Bull (Crete). But there is no Theseus to fight him! This minotaur can be quickly defeated using his own weapon against him. Poseidon orders the player the minotaur's head in exchange for his key.

Talos. The bronze giant many may remember from the classic Jason and the Argonauts movie. In this one, he's much smaller and uses bombs. When his helmet falls off, he bends over and picks it up, revealing a vulnerable buttocks with a bullseye sign.

Medusa.This mythic gorgon lives in a secluded area and is very difficult to defeat. Aside from accidental falls through holes in her lair (which automatically kills the player and then transports them to the underworld), she can sap a huge amount of a player's life points if they are hit by her beaming stare (and turns the player into stone, albeit temporarily). Athena needs Medusa's head in exchange for a key. Also, Medusa's head is a powerful temporary weapon that can be used against enemies and turn them into stone, permanently.

Hydra. The vicious many-headed monster who, in the game, haunts the garden where Dionysus' grapes are found. All weapons but the flaming spear seem to be ineffective against it. Using the flaming spears will stop the fallen heads from regrowing.

Python. The giant snake who guards the tree where the golden fleece is found.

Cerberus. The three headed dog guarding the entrance to the deepest bowels of the underworld, Cerberus can fire lightning or fire-like projectiles at targets.