Welcome to the 96th issue of the GBAtemp Recommends Revival Project! This is a weekly feature where we talk about some of our past favourites. Some may be famous, others have been ignored when released against larger titles but all are a worth your time.
The Indiana Jones franchise has actually done really well with videogames, and this was yet another very good and faithful translation of the movies in videogame form. Those who have played the Super Star Wars trilogy (also by Factor 5) will be right at home with this game as it uses the same engine & plays about the same.[prebreak][/prebreak]As Indy you run and jump, dodge various traps and obstacles. To defend yourself against the meanies out there you have a whip and you can also punch them too. The are other weapons to be fount like a gun and also grenades which you can throw. Like in the movies, Indy can use his whip to swing over things like gaps & spikes.
Aside from the side scrolling levels there are also 3D sections (using the famous Mode 7) these are: Mine Cart, (from Temple of Doom) and just looks lovely with the molten lava. You mainly shoot at objects that are in your way which you do so by aiming with the cursor. Every now and again you go left and right. Snow Rafting (from Temple), where you basically go down this mountain, dodge trees & rocks and jump over gaps. Biplane dogfight, (from Last Crusade) this one you fly left and right and basically shoot down any planes you see while at the same time avoiding traps. The biplane section is easily the most tedious of the three while the Mine cart one is the most fun.
The game covers the first three movies and has 28 levels in all; 12 from Raiders, 8 from Temple & 8 from Crusade. Sadly the music is mostly from Raiders which is great for Raiders but not for the others. Temple does have some themes from the film but some music is from Raiders too. Last Crusade however features no music from the film at all which isn't good at all. Out of all three of the movies, Last Crusade feels like it was rushed and less faithful than the others. The main story of each film section are told through still pictures with text, may not be that great but they get the job done.
So it may not be a perfect game and it is missing some great moments from the last two movies but its still a damn fine sidescroller and will be a challenge to some gamers. The graphics are prefect for the 16 bit console, everything looks like how it should look and Indy looks like Harrison Ford like he should. Though the sound effects are good, they could be better but the wind effects are the best I've heard in a SNES game. There are some scenes missing from the films but only completist will complain about them. Overall its an excellent game which has very high production values and really capture the films well. If you're a fan of these sort of games than give it a go, if you are nuts about Indy than this is a must play & in my opinion is much better than the recent LEGO game.
If you want to submit a game, please let me know first and we'll discuss it.
For a look at all the games we have covered, please visit our Wiki page for a complete list with links.
