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‘Europe, 1938. The Lost Ark was just a warm-up! Now Adolf Hitler is after the most powerful talisman of all – the Holy Grail. A few brave men stand in his way. Fortunately, one of them is Indiana Jones. And this time, he has his dad with him...’
Steven Spielberg’s ‘Indiana Jones’ quadrilogy belongs without doubt to the most lucrative motion picture series in cinema history. Hence, it’s no wonder that the software industry took notice of that, too: already in 1982, the company Atari made an attempt to develop a game for the in-house console Atari 2600, which was based on the first part ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. But the program proved to be an absolute flop...
In 1985 Atari’s adaptation of the second part – ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ – even made it into the local arcades and was ported to almost every popular home computer in the following years. But both the coin-op and its conversions were unable to convince the fans...
Finally, in May 1989, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ got its premiere at the American cinemas – but this time Georg Lucas’ game company Lucas Arts (at that time Lucasfilm Games) takes matters into its own hands...
...at least partially because U.S. Gold creates a program fitting to the subject matter of the third part, too...
The title screen...
‘The Man with the Hat is back...’
...and that twice...
U.S. Gold’s interpretation of the subject matter was a typical motion picture adaptation in the style of Ocean’s ‘Batman – The Movie’ or Image Work’s ‘Back to the Future II’. The game’s separated into several levels which are based on specific settings of the movie – an arcade game to the core...
However, the guys of Lucasfilm Games choose another way and programmed a classical adventure – after all they’ve already established their reputation in the past with games like ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Maniac Mansion’ and ‘Zak McKracken’! To avoid any possibility of confusion, the two different programs got the subtitles ‘The Graphic Adventure’ and ‘The Action Game’ respectively...
Again the ‘SCUMM’ system, which was created by Ron Gilbert and Aric Wilmunder and made its debut in ‘Maniac Mansion’, has been used. ‘SCUMM’ (‘Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion’) allows the player to control the complete game via selecting several verbs (‘Use’, ‘Look’, ‘Take’) – there’s no need to type in one single word! All you’ve to do is to click on the desired command and afterwards choose the respective object in the graphics window (e.g. ‘Open door’). Collected items will be deposit in the inventory and can be combined both with other objects and with each other...
Especially for ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ the ‘SCUMM’ user interface has been enhanced: now there’re the two additional commands ‘Talk’ and ‘Travel’ – first one is available as soon as there’s a potential conversational partner in the current location; by using ‘Travel’ all possible travel destinations appear. Furthermore, the verb ‘Read’ has been replaced by ‘Look’ – in the two precursors you were only able to examine books, signs or scrolls (using that command with other objects resulted in the comment ‘There’s nothing to read on it’). This time, you can examine every item...
‘There’s more than one Way to skin a Cat...’
The most delightful aspect of this game is the fact that there’re several solutions for most of the problems! The following Lucasfilm Games/Lucas Arts adventures may be far more complex than ‘The Last Crusade’ – but such a multiplicity of different strategies for a special situation offers no other program of the American company! Right at the beginning of the game, the player has the chance to assure himself of that fact: just like in the movie, the anteroom of Indy’s office is crowded with students. Now there’re two options:
• You act like in the motion picture and ask your secretary to send in the students one after another. After that, you escape through the window...
• Before you enter the anteroom, you speak with Marcus Brody – during the following conversation he will mention the name of John Reid (provided that you ask the right questions). Next you talk with the angry students and – surprise, surprise – the above mentioned name appears as a further response option. Now the students agree to consult that guy instead of Dr. Jones...
If you’ve chosen the latter option, you can also leave Indy’s office through the door – besides the player gets more points on his ‘IQ’ (‘Indy Quotient’). Yes, you’ve read right! Similar to the adventures of Sierra, you get a specific number of points for each solved problem...
Maybe you should ask Marcus about John Reid? The answer could come in handy...
‘Action’ Adventure...
A further alteration compared to the ‘traditional’ Lucas Arts programs is the integration of action sequences (mostly in the form of punch-ups) – however, I wouldn't go so far as to call ‘The Last Crusade’ an action adventure, because the adventure elements far outweigh the action parts...
To prepare yourself especially for the punch-ups, you’ve the opportunity to practice your boxing skills in the gym of the ‘Barnett College’. After Dr. Jones slipped into his boxing outfit (but he won’t take off his famous fedora hat) he enters the ring (nicely animated). Before the fight against the boxing teacher starts, he can choose between three different degrees of difficulty. Right after that, the fight is on: unfortunately there is no joystick support – so you’ve to use the numeric pad. Of course, this isn’t very user-friendly – however, it’s no big problem. Nevertheless, the sequel ‘Fate of Atlantis’ makes it better – here you can also use the mouse...
Albeit the several punch-ups are very action oriented, they require a strategic approach, too: in addition to the energy bars of the two opponents, the player takes notice of two ‘punch power’ displays (one for Indy, the other one for the respective adversary). Depending on how long you wait before you deal out the next blow, the more damage it will cause (similar to EA’s ‘Budokan’) – certainly, the same applies to the enemy...
A perfect opportunity to train your boxing skills...
Non-identical Twins...
By the above mentioned ‘student situation’ you can realize that the program doesn't abide by the plot of the great silver screen adventure at any time. At the beginning of the game you can even find a fake of the Grail Diary – if you hand the book to the Nazi henchman at Castle Brunwald, you don’t have to make a trip to the book burning in Berlin. Unfortunately, then Indy won’t get the autograph of Adolf Hitler – a heavy loss...
So, much in the game is different than in the motion picture – but you shouldn’t consider that fact as a disadvantage, but rather as an advantage! Even for people who know the ins and outs of the movie, the adventure is definitely not a walk in the park!
There’re many (new) locations in the game that the fan hasn’t seen in the film – the catacombs below the library/church of Venice are a good example. They’re far more complex than in the motion picture! Whereas the ‘real’ Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds the First Knight’s tomb in less than no time (and afterwards has to struggle with a rat infestation), his virtual twin needs much longer – or in other words: discovering the tomb is no problem, but finding a way to enter it will be far more difficult...
‘Ah, Venice...’
When you’ve finally found the secret entrance to the catacombs (the well-known excerpt of the film ‘X marks the spot...’ doesn’t matter anymore) you’ll find yourself in a chamber whose walls are covered with bizarre skulls – moreover you can spot three exits. So, which way you should take? Actually, that’s irrelevant, because you’ll end up in a tangle of corridors...
Do you remember ‘Zak McKracken’? There, the mazes were shown from the side – this time, the Venetian catacombs use a top-down view! To make sure it’s not too easy, you’re only able to see a small section of the surrounding area – nevertheless the player doesn’t have to draw a map because of the two following points:
• It’s possible to memorize the positions of the several rooms after a short time...
• In the library you’ve the chance to find a book with the name ‘Secrets of the Roman Catacombs’ – that contains a map of the labyrinth...
During the following ‘dungeon exploration’ Indy comes across ancient devices, which were obviously created by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci, finds strange lapidary inscriptions, which reveal further information about the Grail, discovers an underground sea including plug (in order to drain the water) and loses ground sometimes! Furthermore, he has to move three statues in the right position and play a special melody on a bizarre ‘skull piano’...
Without his father’s Grail Diary, Indy would have a serious problem now – only with its help he’s able to solve the puzzles in the catacombs. If you’re stuck on a certain spot, you should consult it. By the way, that extremely important utensil is available in two types: on the one hand, in virtual form in the adventure itself, on the other hand, as a ‘real’ goodie inside the game’s box! But don’t worry – people who’ve ‘misplaced’ their Grail Diary are able to solve the program, too. There’re one, maybe two spots in the whole game, where you’ve to make use of it – but even those can be mastered by the famous ‘trial-and-error’ method...
Actually it’s very surprising that Lucas Arts has chosen that way – after all, using the original book would have been a far more effective copy protection than requesting a password at the beginning of the game...
When Dr. Jones has finally found the Knight’s tomb (and the shield), he meets Marcus Brody – during his absence his friend has find out about the whereabouts of Prof. Henry Jones, Indy’s father. He’s held captive by the Nazis at Castle Brunwald near the Austrian-German border (another difference to the motion picture; there, he gets the clue from a member of the ‘Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword’). So, the next travel destination is clear...
Donovan's apartment - starting point of the adventure...
’That’s how Austrians say Goodbye...’
Just like the catacombs below Venice, the several floors of Castle Brunwald will be shown by a bird's eye view, too – but once Indy enters one of the numerous rooms, the program returns to the familiar perspective. However, there’s a small difference to the Venetian catacombs: here, guards patrol the corridors! Each one of them has a specific movement pattern – if Indy comes within their field of vision, they’ll be after him immediately...
This section of the game bears a striking resemblance to the Konami classic ‘Metal Gear Solid’. But here you’ve nothing more to do than to enter one of the nearby rooms (hopefully it’s an empty one!) to guarantee a successful escape – so you don’t have to hide yourself in lockers or the like...
But in most cases it’s not possible to avoid the numerous soldiers – sooner or later there’ll be a face-off with one of them. When that happens, the familiar multiple-choice menu comes up (which has its debut in ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’) – now Indy has the chance to relieve the angry soldier’s mind by means of a cultivated conversation...
Soldier: ‘You in that leather jacket! What are you doing here?’
Indy: ‘Hi! I’m selling fine leather jackets like the one I’m wearing.’
Soldier: ‘Jackets? What? Who let you in here?’
Indy: ‘I’ve got authorization. How else would I get here?’
Soldier: ‘Well, that’s true enough. How much are the jackets?’
Indy: ’15 Marks. Just the thing for guard duty on cold nights.’
Soldier: ‘Sounds reasonable. Put me down for an order – Corporal Kruger.’
Indy: ‘Ah, cash in advance, please.’
Soldier: ‘Sure.’
With this wonderful example, you can see that some of the guards at Castle Brunwald aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. However, Dr. Jones should be careful – already in the second floor of the ancient building the degree of difficulty increases appreciably in terms of the conversations! And if he asks the wrong questions and gives the wrong answers respectively, the dialogue degenerates into one of the above mentioned punch-ups. If he loses the fight, the game’s over – but if he’s able to defeat his enemy, he has the chance to find some money. With that, he can try to bribe the one or two soldiers during the adventure...
Furthermore, Indy’s able to slip into two different clothes during his infiltration of the castle: a servant uniform and a Nazi officer uniform. Depending on which outfit he’s wearing, the available questions/answers will change. Moreover, Indy has the chance to find out more about the nature of the Grail – but this requires the possession of the picture which you can obtain in Henry Jones’ house...
Okay, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ is a quite linear adventure and offers neither several radically different ways to solve it (like in the sequel ‘Fate of Atlantis’) nor an extensive territory to satisfy the urge of exploration (like the three or actually four islands in ‘Monkey Island 2 – LeChuck’s Revenge’) – though, the devil’s in the details! Particularly the many different ways to solve the various problems at Castle Brunwald (fighting, evasion, persuasiveness, camouflage or other possibilities to get rid of the soldiers) make sure that you’ll play the game again and again. Completing the adventure without one single fight represents the ideal way to solve it – but the player doesn’t have to finish the program in this manner...
‘..don’t call me Junior...’
When Indy has finally found the room where his father’s held captive, he buzzes off together with Henry! If he was previously able to knock out nearly all of the guards, escaping the castle is a piece of cake – but if the contrary is the case, the two Joneses won’t get too far. The following event should be very familiar to fans of the movie – but in the game, things are a little different (and in my opinion a little more inventive, too)...
Depending on whether Dr. Jones is in possession of the (real) Grail Diary (see above); the journey leads to the Berlin Tempelhof Airport or straight ‘into the lion’s den’ – to the book burning at the Brandenburg Gate! Definitely an extremely dangerous operation; but here Indy has the golden opportunity to snatch an autograph from Adolf Hitler in person – like mentioned before...
To escape from Germany the two Joneses make use of either a biplane or board a zeppelin. However, the flight with the airship is only short-lived – after a musical performance plus a following act of sabotage, Indy and Henry have to leave the vessel immediately, because suddenly it heads for Germany again...
Perhaps not a good time for a walk...
At the End of the Journey...
When all is said and done, Indy and his father arrive at the Grail Temple and Dr. Jones has to pass the three well-known challenges of the motion picture (‘The Breath of God’, ‘The Word of God’, ‘The Path of God’). When he finally holds the (right) Grail in his hands at the end of the game, there’s the possibility to complete the program in several ways...
‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ isn’t just one of the best adventures, but at the same time one of the most brilliant movie to game titles – solely Westwood’s PC game ‘Blade Runner’ is able to reach the quality of that Lucas Arts product (at least in my humble opinion)...
But even ‘The Last Crusade’ isn’t perfect! Particularly towards the end of the adventure (after the spectacular crash-landing of the plane), the program becomes a little monotonous. Unfortunately, the awesome desert battle isn’t included in the game – instead of that; the player has to struggle with several border guards. That appears quite insubstantial...
Besides, it’s a pity that the real adventure starts immediately with the grown-up Indy – just during the opening credits you can spot his young alter ego (in the movie played by River Phoenix). A kind of tutorial adventure, which deals with the ‘Cross of Coronado’ (located in the caves of Utah and on the circus train respectively), certainly would have enhanced the already excellent program in a wonderful way...
Furthermore, the playability of the action parts isn’t that good – like mentioned before, during the punch-ups the player has to use the keyboard, because a joystick won’t be supported. Okay, that’s all right – but the dogfight against the enemy Messerschmitts is on the edge of unfairness! But these (few) points of criticism don’t change the fact that ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ belongs even today to the timeless classics of its genre...
‘If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones..’
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In a certain way, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ represents a kind of evolution in the early history of Lucas Arts adventures – unlike to ‘Maniac Mansion’ and ‘Zak McKracken’ the various locations appear far more detailed and somehow seem to be more three-dimensional (albeit they aren’t). But especially in terms of the animations the game makes good progress – the numerous actions of the Indy sprite (climbing up ladders and ledges, swinging the whip, punch-ups with the Nazis) look just great! However, the scrolling is as jerky as ever...
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Of course, the music in the game is based on the motion picture soundtrack, composed by John Williams – tracks like 'Ah, Rats!!!‘, 'Escape from Venice‘ or the fast-paced 'Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra’ appear not only as short jingles, but sometimes serve as background music for the several locations (Venice, catacombs). The famous ‘Raiders March’ is included, too - that goes without saying! Generally speaking, the score of the movie was transferred quite good, whereas sfxs are relatively rare – nevertheless, they sound nice (and realistic), too...
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It’s ‘SCUMM’ – what else should I say? Without doubt, that engine represents the easiest and most comfortable way to control a ‘point and click’ adventure. Moreover, loading times are hardly noticeable and even if you decide against a hard drive installation, that’s also no big problem, because you’ve to change the three disks very rarely – at least with the support of an external floppy drive...
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| Even until today, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ belongs to the greatest motion pictures ever – the game, again is one of the best within its genre! Perhaps it’s not the Holy Grail among the adventures – just think about Lucas Arts’ later masterpieces, like e.g. ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’ – but it's damn close to it... |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
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