Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Overview

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was released by LucasArts in 1992. Classified as a "graphical adventure game," the gameplay is that of a traditional "point and click" game, identical to other LucasArts graphical adventure games including Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle.

Set during the years leading up to World War II, players take the role of Indiana Jones as he is caught in a race to find Atlantis before the Nazis can harvest the power of orichalcum, a legendary and powerful metal.

A significant aspect to the game is the different routes in which a player can take to complete the game. This marks the first time multiple paths were featured in a LucasArts adventure game. The three different routes each involve different gameplay and different endings.

This game was an unlockable game mode in the 2009 Wii game Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. The game can be played on modern PC's using ScummVM.

A sequel was in the works, but it was cancelled and the story was reworked into two separate comics published by Dark Horse.

Plot

Indiana Jones is asked to retrieve a strange idol from Barnett College, where he teaches. The man who asked Indy to find the artifact turns out to be Klaus Kerner, a Nazi agent. Klaus steals the idol and draws Indy into an adventure to uncover what it is the Nazis are after.

In his search, Indy teams up with Sophia Hapgood, an old colleague who is also a target of Kerner because of the necklace she wears: an artifact that will help them uncover the final resting place of Atlantis. It is after meeting with Sophia that Indy learns of what the Nazis want with Atlantis and the power they would obtain if they were ever to get hold of a mineral called orichalcum.

Another key to finding Atlantis, Indy learns, is in the legendary Lost Dialogue, a book of disputed existence by Plato. The story continues to unfold depending on which path the player chooses to take.

Gameplay

The general gameplay is set out like a traditional point and click adventure game. There are many puzzle solving elements but there are also optional in-game fighting scenes. In many situations the problem can be solved in a puzzle format but sometimes it is optional for the player to solve a dispute in a fist fight.

The three paths the player can take are:

1. the Wits Path: a path with many puzzle solving elements,
2. the Fists Path: with fewer problems but with more fighting scenes, and
3. the Team Path: that relies more heavily on Sophia Hapgood in some of the puzzles.

Each path includes different objects, locations, and dialogue lines. As the player progresses he is rewarded with Indy Quotient (IQ) points. To receive the maximum 1,000 points the player will have to play through every path and see every alternative endings. In order to achieve this, the player must play through the game a minimum of three times.

Steam Re-Release

In 2009, Lucasarts re-released Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis for the price of $4.99 on Steam.