Indiana Jones is much more than one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema, as his legacy also reaches video games through a varied and disparate work. Furthermore, just as has happened on the big screen, it does not seem that they are going to let him retire soon, since on December 9 it is published Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Taking into account that his last appearances in this world have been cameos in the well-known Fortnite and in the adventure title for Facebook Indiana Jones Adventure Worldwe have to wonder why he is sheathing the whip again now. Surely the nostalgia that permeates current cultural production and the commitment to well-known brands have influenced this decision, but it is curious if one takes into account that the collection of the recent film Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny It was not what was expected.
In any case, the famous adventurer created by George Lucas is accustomed to both success and failure, as his video game history demonstrates.
Looting digital environments
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark It became a phenomenon. After its premiere in 1981, it conquered the audience and won five Oscars. A year later it had its replica in video games for the Atari 2600, becoming a pioneer in the transfer between media. With a minimalist appearance due to technical limitations, the design was handled by Howard Scott Warshaw, responsible for the infamous ET the Extra-Terrestrialan adventure video game that was such a failure for the Atari company that it has become a symbol of the video game crisis of 1983.
This fiasco affected Indy’s sales, which despite everything showed that there was interest in having it in the middle. Thus, in the following years several proposals followed one another, some direct adaptations of the films, others original. In the first group, the action title stands out Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom —which had a soundtrack by John Williams and the digitized voice of Harrison Ford, a novelty at the time— and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusadea name under which very disparate versions were included. The action movie was criticized for its programming problems, but LucasArts was in charge of the graphic adventure and it enjoyed quite a bit of popularity.
In the second group are Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom (1985), which focuses on highly complex puzzles, which made this game for Commodore 64 and Atari 800 known for its difficulty. Although the key work in the history of the archaeologist in video games is Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantisa graphic adventure from 1992 that has become an icon of the genre. Created by Hollywood screenwriter Hal Barwood, its complex story combined with good puzzle design and detailed aesthetics pixel art They made it sell more than a million copies.
It was long rumored that it would be adapted into a film. However, its sequel, The Iron Phoenixnever saw the light. The story about finding the Philosopher’s Stone to prevent Hitler’s resurrection experienced a tumultuous development that ended in cancellation, in part because the use of Nazi symbols prevented its publication in a market as important as the German one.
Explore new (and old) paths
In the following years, the adventurer continues to lurch between new stories and the adaptation of what was seen in cinemas or in series such as educational The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. It is these second ones that seem more lucrative, since in 1994 they debuted with some relevance Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventureswhich once again transfers the three classic films to 2D settings, also with great fidelity, although without achieving the success of Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedithe adaptation of Return of the Jedi released the same year.
To end the decade, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999) makes the leap to 3D animations and incorporates the communists as villains while including elements such as aliens and supernatural creatures, which did not convince the audience. The next two installments maintain the artistic style and make up a trilogy of original video games, but neither Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb (2003, which links directly to the events of the film The cursed temple) neither Indiana Jones and the Scepter of Kings (2009) were great hits.
Above all, not in comparison to Lego video games, which between 2008 and 2009 adapted all the films in two batches with their cube aesthetic and usual sense of humor. But, despite the good critical and commercial reception, Indy would spend fifteen years without starring in a new title.
A teacher with many pupils
Indiana Jones’ legacy in the video game also includes how he has served as an inspiration for many characters. Thus, Professor Layton is another archaeologist who travels solving mysteries, and his saga focuses on puzzles, just like certain Indy titles. Meanwhile, the platform adventures of Crash Bandicoot share ingredients that range from the setting to the action scenes, the best known being one of its first installment, in which the marsupial escapes from a rolling rock in the purest style of Raiders of the lost ark.
It is not the only proposal with nods to this mythical opening sequence. For example, the story mode of the first Mortal Kombat presents with a parody of it the wrestler Johnny Cage, who is defined as a cockier version of Harrison Ford’s character. Although when thinking about Indiana Jones in video games, it is logical to quote his most direct pupils: tomb Raider and uncharted. In fact, if Lara Croft ended up being a woman it was precisely to distance herself from the image of Doctor Jones, which the treasure hunter Nathan Drake would later take as a starting point.
These two franchises have in common travel around the world, the search for relics, the confrontation with enemies and an eminent orientalism, but they have achieved much more uniform success in this field than that of the original archaeologist. Croft and Drake have allowed the adventure to be experienced first-hand, a central detail for the promotion of The Great Circleto the point that its director Jerk Gustafsson has assured that they opt for first-person action to turn the player into Jones himself, as if this immersion were not a general quality of the video game.
A veteran returns to consoles
The latest adventure of Indiana Jones, developed by MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order), seems to collect the most recognizable ingredients from the films, add gameplay details from its video game legacy and incorporate new features. In this way, it places the action between the first and third films, starting from a classic premise of a trip to recover artifacts and includes exploration, confrontations against the Nazis commanded by Emmerich Voss, a relationship full of ups and downs with his female troupe (in this occasion, an Italian journalist) and a new photography mechanic that enhances the investigation.
It is too early to know if, how The dial of destiny, will try to modernize itself minimally—even if it is by giving greater agency to the female protagonists—but betting on the first person seems a decision aimed at both differentiating itself from tomb Raider and uncharted as well as paving the way for future titles. It is true that Troy Baker, known for playing Joel Miller in The Last of Usimitates his cinematic mannerisms by giving voice to Indy here, but by maintaining his characteristic elements without showing his face, it is easier to separate the image of Harrison Ford from that of the adventurer. Above all, in a time when hyperrealism dominates the video game mainstream and it can no longer be hidden under polygonal faces that those pixels do not look too similar to the original actor.
In the end, the hat, the whip or the brown leather jacket are still present in The Great Circleso this seems like a shuttle so that, when the icon is forced to leave the cinema, it can continue its journey within the video game.
#beating #Nazis #solving #puzzles #legacy #Indiana #Jones #video #games
