Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures
| Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures | |
|---|---|
 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) | Windows 3.x, Apple Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | April 1996[1] |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures is a 1996 computer 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.
A demo version of the game was later released at Download.com.[2]
Plot
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, though each storyline has a pre-scripted resolution.
Gameplay
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. There is limited audio and no speech, with characters speaking with speech bubbles. After winning, the player can continue to explore the setting.
Reception
GameSpot reviewed the game as having low-quality visuals and audio but being possibly useful for passing time.[3] Billboard magazine mentioned the game's randomly generated environment and its target audience of "gamers on the go."[4]
Influence
Although Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was a direct sequel to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, elements from Desktop Adventures found their way into the next game:
- The round health meter, in addition to being used for health, was also used for the breath, puncture and Aetherium threshold meters.
- Health herbs, can be found growing throughout the game, as well as the new venom kit and health kit.
- Scorpions, spiders, snakes and the odd jaguar were introduced in Infernal Machine, along with wolves, monkeys, sharks and piranha. All could be killed with the exception of jaguars, wolves and monkeys. LucasArts was told by one of the play testers they did not like the idea of killing them, so LucasArts changed the programming slightly so those animals would run away at the sound of gun fire, giving the player time to get away from them. Their dying animation was not removed from the game, so they could still be killed with explosives.
References
- ↑ "20th Anniversary - History; Part Three: Broadening Horizons, 1995 – 1998". LucasArts. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006.
- ↑ "Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures demo". Download.com. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ↑ Ward, Trent (1996-06-27). "Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ↑ Atwood, Brett (1996-06-01). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard: 84. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
External links
- GameSpot review by Editorial staff
- Adventure Classic Gaming review
- Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures at MobyGames
- Downloadable demo of Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures at Download.com
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