Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures is a 1996 computer game inspired by the Indiana Jones films. This was the first in a series of "Desktop Adventures" games; the second, entitled Star Wars: Yoda Stories, followed a year later. Because LucasArts has not sold this game for many years, it is generally considered abandonware.
Publisher's summary[]
Take an Indy Adventure Break!
Grab your whip and fedora and join in the first-of-its-kind mini-adventure. Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures offers literally billions of games, set in 1930s Mexico, with motley characters, challenging puzzles and a variety of outcomes. With each game averaging under an hour, there's always time for an Indy adventure break.
Plot summary[]
The game is set in mid-1930s Mexico. Indy and Marcus Brody have set up headquarters in the small town of Lucasio from which to conduct excavations at Site R, whereupon they are immediately confronted with a series of mysteries, emergencies and adventures.
Gameplay[]
Indiana Jones traverses Lucasio.
The game is designed as a "casual" adventure game, playable from start to finish in about an hour or less, presenting an alternative to traditional light computer diversions such as Solitaire and Minesweeper, and like those games is played in a small window on the desktop. As Indiana Jones, the player must contend with motley characters, challenging puzzles, and a huge variety of outcomes. The plot and direction of each game is randomly generated at the start, with locations, items and characters being drawn from a data set and varying with each game. Therefore, unlike most Indiana Jones games, the game has no singular narrative, but rather a vast number of possible adventures, each with its own side quests and encounters - billions of different stories are possible, ensuring replayability, though they follow a common formula.
Players go against Dr. Victor Van Loon, Nazis (led by General Anton Schlossberg), bandits, and dangerous animals to complete quests, which can range from recovering various artifacts to rescuing kidnapped characters to investigating strange goings-on. Gameplay is structured around randomly-generated puzzles which generally involve obtaining various items such as tools, keys, antiquities, etc. and using them to gain access to other items. Perilous encounters reduce health points, which can be restored with health items such as first aid kits or medicinal herbs.
Crew[]
- Hal Barwood
- Mark Crowley
- Paul LeFevre
- Wayne Cline
- Reed Derleth
- Tom Payne
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- René Emile Belloq (Mentioned only)
- Bonifacio
- Marcus Brody
- Bug-Eyes
- C-3PO
- Chico
- Coatlicue (Statue)
- Conchita
- Hernando Cortés (Mentioned only)
- George Flannery
- Gabriela
- Herrera
- Pacal Hunac
- Henry Walton Jones, Senior (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones
- José
- Lola
- Montezuma (Mentioned only)
- Nacom
- Quetzalcoatl (Mentioned only)
- Anton Schlossberg
- Temple keeper
- Victor Van Loon
- Von Blimp
Artifacts[]
- Funeral Mask
- Snake Pendant of Montezuma
- Toltec Crystal Skull
- Coatlicue Idol
- Jaguar Codex
- Eagle Dagger
- Calendar Stone
- Mayan Stele
- Spider Lamp
- Aztec Mirror
- Aztec Sword
- Jaguar Pendant
- Strange Idol
Locations[]
- China (Mentioned only)
- Europe (Mentioned only)
- Heaven (Mentioned only) (As 'Himmel')
- Mexico
- Xibalbá (Mentioned only)
Items[]
- Aztec Shield
- Bag of Sand
- Bamboo Pole
- Blasting Cap
- Bolt Cutter
- Bottle of Nitro
- Bucket
- Bucket of Water
- Chac Mool
- Clay Pot
- Cog Stone
- Cracked Stele
- Crowbar
- Crude Lockpick
- Demon Mask
- Dynamite
- Eagle Helmet
- Fake Map
- Gear
- Goddess Mask
- Gold Idol
- Gold Nugget
- Guitar
- Hammer
- Hatchet
- Headdress
- Incense Burner
- Jade Adze
- Jade Flute
- Jade Statue
- Jaguar Statue
- Keg of Powder
- Ladder
- Lumber
- Map
- Metal File
- Monkey Heart
- Monkey Wrench
- Necklace
- Obsidian Eye
- Obsidian Knife
- Paddle
- Pickaxe
- Pile of Coins
- Plank
- Quetzal Feather
- Rock Drill
- Rock
- Rope
- Sacred Mask
- Screwdriver
- Shovel
- Skull
- Spanish Helmet
- Spark Plug
- Star Sapphire
- Tree Branch
Keys[]
- Alloy Key
- Bone Key
- Brass Key
- Bronze Key
- Copper Key
- Gold Key
- Iron Key
- Jade Key
- Metal Key
- Obsidian Key
- Old Key
- Ornate Key
- Pewter Key
- Silver Key
- Skeleton Key
- Spanish Key
- Steel Key
- Stone Key
Health Items[]
Weapons[]
Behind the scenes[]
As with LucasArts' previous Indy game, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, the project was led by Hal Barwood, who wrote the story and designed the game together with production manager Wayne Cline; lead artist Tom Payne and lead programmer Paul D. LeFevre also contributed to the game design. Veteran LucasArts composer Clint Bajakian contributed music and sound effects editing, incorporating brief quotes of the famous "Raiders March" by John Williams.
Perhaps to convey the "lightweight," casual nature of the game, it was sold in minimal packaging - a slim, shrinkwrap-sealed cardboard folder, with an interior pocket for the game floppy disk - quite different from the standard boxes of other LucasArts games of the time.
Because of the tremendous story variation possible, the prospect of incorporating the game narrative in any specific detail into the larger Indiana Jones canon presents considerable difficulty, although the general situation, adventure objectives, principal characters, etc. may be considered canon.
External links[]
- Indiana Beau
- GameSpot review by Editorial staff
- Demo at Download.com
- Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures at TheRaider.net
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| Unknown | Mid-1930s | Unknown |
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