Video Game: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Two video games by LucasArts, based on the popular Indiana Jones movie series.The first (and the most well known) is an Adventure Game with painted cinematic screen-by-screen backgrounds, while the second was subtitled "the action game" (it was more like an Action Adventure, viewed from an faux 3d isometric perspective, and based solely on a few select moments from the point and click adventure version). The action game is mostly forgotten today. This article, for the most part, discusses the adventure game.Set in the months prior to World War II, the storyline sees Indy team up with an old flame, SophiaHapgood, who is an expert on the mythical city of Atlantis, and in particular its god Nur-ab-sal. This being an Indiana Jones story, it of course turns out that Atlantis was real, and our hero finds himself in a race against time to get there before Those Wacky Nazis can harness its power to Take Over the World.This game was the first time that an Indiana Jones graphical video game had featured an entirely original storyline, not based on one of the films. Given the reluctance of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to confirm a proper Indy sequel following The Last Crusade, many fans came to refer to this game by the informal title Indiana Jones 4. For years afterwards, lazy journalists used this as conclusive proof that the next movie sequel would feature Atlantis (a rumour which continues to pop up even post-Crystal Skull).The game's storyline was also later adapted into a four issue comic book series. A sequel to the game was planned under the title Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix, but was eventually cancelled, and the Indiana Jones game series would not continue until 1999's Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine. Iron Phoenix, however, saw a comic book adaptation after its cancellation.The Nintendo Wii version of Indiana Jones And The Staff Of Kings also features the complete full version of The Fate of Atlantis as an unlockable bonus game.
Tropes featured in this game include:
Actor Allusion: Well, to the original portrayer, anyway: in Indy's office is a collection of letters to Indy's school from Henry Jones Sr. that all begin the same way — "Regarding Henry", a Ford film from the '90s.
A God Am I — the goal of Klaus Kerner and Dr. Hans Ubermann, using the Atlantean ascension machine. It doesn't work out very well for either of them.
Sophia at one point, when possessed by Nur-ab-sal.
All There in the Manual — The comic adaptation explains a lot, like the connection between the Atlanteans' Schizo Tech and the reason for the God Machine. It was aliens. They had horns, gave the Atlanteans some technology and Orichalcum, and when they left, the Atlanteans, misguided souls that they were, tried to bring them back by turning normal people into "gods." Unfortunately, it didn't work and they became mutants.
As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The controls for the Nazi submarine are labeled "Ausgeschnitzel", "Flugeldufel" and "Krauskefarben". (Clearly the games had substantially less budget for translators than the films.)
Fridge Brilliance: Indy doesn't speak German, so even if the player does, the labels still don't help...
Bittersweet Ending — The bad ending - the Nazis are defeated and Atlantis is destroyed, but at the cost of Sophia's life.
Black Mesa Commute — The opening sequence has Indy appear to be breaking into a secret stash of artifacts... only for it to be gradually revealed that he's in Barnard College and only swung through the window because the door was blocked. He then falls through multiple floors slapstick-style.
Body Horror — The innermost sections of Atlantis are littered with the twisted skeletons of people mutated by the Atlanteans' failed experiments with their ascension machine. When Klaus Kerner decides to try the machine himself, he ends up transforming first into a giant, then into a stunted minotaur.
Broken Pedestal — Nur-Ab-Sal is not as nice as Sophia believes at first. In a room full of horribly mutated skeletons, he tries to take over Sophia's body; Indy manages to save her by disposing of his Soul Jar in a conveniently-placed pool of lava.
Driven to Suicide — Happens to Kerner after he gets turned into a Minotaur-like creature by the God Machine.
Dummied Out — The game code features several rooms which are never even seen in the finished game, including an entire section based around Sophia's apartment (which was relegated to only being an unplayable Cut Scene in the final version).
Hoist by His Own Petard — The Nazis' plans are ultimately foiled by the very thing they sought after. This is an Indiana Jones story; what did you expect?
I Love Nuclear Power — the Nazis, The Atlanteans. The good guys are afraid they want orichalcum for nefarious purposes, since a single bead contains enormous power. It turns out They want to use it to turn on the god machine.
Imported Alien Phlebotinum — Atlantean artifacts all around the globe. Orichalcum averts this oddly enough, since it does actually originate from Earth, but is exceptionally rare and requires some advanced technology to mine and process.
Last Lousy Point — The game's "Indy Quotient" score keeps track of points found in each of the three paths players can take, so you have to play all three routes (multiple times each) to get a perfect score. And some of the points involve fighting the biggest, toughest guys in the game instead of getting around them through puzzle-solving.
Monologuing — when Sophia!Nur-ab-sal enters the throne room.
Multiple Endings — Depending on whether or not you rescue Sophia and convince Ubermann to test the machine on himself.
The entire game has three Paths with different plots and different solutions to most of the puzzles: Wits, Fists, and Team. Various puzzles and actions can be taken in any of the three paths, but are most effective in the appropriate scenario, while other items become uselessin the other paths.
Mundane Utility — Gold is impervious to orichalcum, and amber can be used to dowse for it.
No OSHA Compliance — some of the archaeological digs Indy is forced to explore, not to mention Atlantis itself.
One of the few works that not just uses it, but uses it as Phlebotinum.
Painting the Fourth Wall — In a manner of speaking. One puzzle involves Indy turning on a generator in a darkened underground dig site. If the player waits, Indy's eyes will adjust and you'll be able to see what you are doing.
Reverse Psychology — one of the ways to convince the Nazis to test the machine on themselves first.
Running Gag — Started one in Lucasarts games with Indy's Lame Excuse "Would you like to buy these fine leather jackets?"
Save Scumming — The only post-Monkey Island Lucasarts adventure game where this is necessary. You generally don't have to worry about it on the "Teamwork" and "Wits" paths unless you're thinking of doing something really stupid, but it's practically a requirement for getting through the "Fists" path.
Schizo Tech — justified since orichalcum is a clean, safe source of nuclear power of some sort.
Slap-Slap-Kiss — Indy and Sophia after rescuing Sophia from the dungeon.
Smug Snake — Kerner and Ubermann, who are convinced that the very same machine that horribly mutated scores of Atlanteans will work on them because of their superior Aryan qualities. They find out the hard way that they are wrong.
Soul Jar — Sophia Hapgood channels the spirit of the last Atlantean King through her necklace. It's a reliquary for Nur-ab-sal, and Indy has to take it from her by powering it up with orichalcum, whereupon it morphs into a demonic face.
The Tethercat Principle — Played with. When you meet the Norwegian archaeologist, he constantly digs in the same spot (as is common of adventure games of this era). When you leave and come back, he has frozen to death, apparently never having left the cave.
And also the car chase in Monte Carlo. It is an Indy game though.
Don't forget the fist fights, although these are thankfully skippable if you hold the right button (period?) during the fight. You don't get the points for your Indy Quotient if you do this though.
Unobtanium — The adventure begins when the Nazis steal a bead of orichalcum from Indy; it's portrayed as an incredibly powerful energy source (and a set of Interchangeable Antimatter Keys for many of the game's puzzles), and most of the game is a race for the motherlode at Atlantis itself.
Unwinnable by Design — Averted; it's not possible to become irreversibly stuck in the game.
Vapor Ware / What Could Have Been — The adventure game ends on a screen promising a sequel which ultimately never ended up seeing the light of day. The sequel, named Iron Phoenix, was eventually adapted into a comic book, and a different game, Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine, was eventually released instead.
Walk Into Mordor — while Atlantis is inaccessible for justified reasons, to get to the Third Circle of Atlantis you have to use an orichalcum-powered Bronze Age tunnel-boring machine, which promptly falls into the lava.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity — An implied side effect of the Atlantean ascension machine; Dr. Ubermann does not survive long enough after his transformation for this to be certain.
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