Ten Best Indiana Jones Games of All Time
We learned essential lessons from Indiana Jones. Exploring the world can be enriching. The past should also be preserved and studied. And it’s okay to punch Nazis in their faces.
The Indiana Jones franchise is a multi-media juggernaut. There are television shows, comic books, and books that complement the four Indiana Jones movies. Video games are another aspect of the franchise. We’ve globetrotted from our offices to bring you the best Indiana Jones video games.
The Best Indiana Jones Games
10. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis – The Action Game
You can stop right there. It’s okay to put down your pitchforks. Although Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a well-known LucasArts classic adventure game, it’s not the same game. Since the original Indiana Jones film, the series has straddled both adventure and action genres. However, video games were very young at the time and it was rare for them to do both adventure and action in equal measures.
LucasArts came up with a solution: make two games. One for adventure and one for action. You can guess that Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis is the action-game version. The gameplay of the game is isometric and Indy fights his way through.
It was a novel take on Indiana Jones and Atlantis. The Action Game was different from other action games of the time. Many of these games (including Indiana Jones games) chose the platformer to be their action genre of choice. The British company Attention To Detail was responsible for the outsourcing of LucasArts’ Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis to a British company. The Action Game was quickly forgotten and is now a footnote to the history of Indiana Jones: The Graphic Adventure.
9. Indiana Jones and The Staff of Kings
Do you remember the Indiana Jones E3 trailer that was released in 2006? That one featured the incredible physics and ragdoll, as well as an action sequence on a San Francisco cable car. No? No, because the PS3 and Xbox 360 prototype demo were ultimately canceled and turned into Indiana Jones and The Staff of Kings, which was released on a lower-end Wii, PSP, and PS2.
You’ll be globe-trotting around the world as you would expect from an Indiana Jones game. The locations of Indiana Jones and Staff of Kings are varied, and even though it is on a weaker platform, it still has nice graphics. The Wii was a popular platform for development due to its lower cost and popularity. Motion controls were also a result of this.
The Wii demonstrated that motion controls can be a great addition to a game, but they are also very bad when used incorrectly. Indiana Jones seemed to be the perfect person for this type of motion control fun. However, Indiana Jones and Staff of Kings’ controls proved awkward, overused, and frankly stupid. There is a PS2 version available, so it is possible to get the fun started.
8. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The Action Game
LucasArts was the first to attempt to split a single property into action and adventure games. Its first attempt was the videogame adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a 1989 film. Because it has so many ports, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The Action Game can be difficult to rank. This game was available on the Amiga, Atari and Commodore 64 as well as the NES, Master System and Spectrum versions. However, each version is different in terms of quality.
All the games share one thing in common: they are side-scrolling, platforming games. Some games may have missing levels, but others have similar gameplay. Each level is based upon a specific part of the game. The Cross of Coronado and the circus train, Castle Brunweld, and the Grail caves all get their own levels.
Most versions have large sprites, which is rare for this era. However, the majority of versions sound great. Some versions only have limited sound and are often silent, with the exception of a few sound effects. It’s an excellent early-action title and one of the first platform titles in the series, despite this.
7. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
The 1985 arcade game Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is one of the most interesting entries to the Indiana Jones videogame library. The 1980s saw arcades flourish with the success of classics like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids. The 1980s saw more sophisticated and attractive arcade games. This would include Indiana Jones, the Temple of Doom, and Space Invaders.
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom has you playing the role of Indy as you rescue children from the Pankot Palace mines. Temple of Doom has an 8-direction joystick that can move Indy from a top-down perspective in any direction. To progress to the next level, climb ladders, swing across gaps and avoid guards The minecart chase and liberation of the sankara stones from the temple are featured in later levels.
The game was very well made and featured great adaptations of the film’s music. It was unlike any Indiana Jones game. While it’s enjoyable, keep in mind that the game does not have an arcade mentality. However, it is still fun. Although there was a version for the NES, Commodore 64 and Amstrad, it wasn’t as good as the arcade version.
6. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
The new generation of 3D polygonal graphics, which was introduced in the late 90s, was in full swing. Each year brought new 3D games that were more visually stunning. Because Tomb Raider was making big waves on the console market, Indiana Jones had no choice but to follow. This was the first 3D Indiana Jones game, and it was a sad goodbye to 2D action and adventure games from the 90s.
The Infernal Machine and Indiana Jones do take some inspiration from the Tomb Raider video games. But, considering that Indiana Jones was also an inspiration for Tomb Raider, it’s only fair. There are some Tomb Raider similarities: block-pushing/pulling seems to be borrowed wholesale, vehicles feel similar, and even the splash’ sound effect is familiar. They are so similar that it was inevitable that they would share similarities. However, Indiana Jones and Infernal Machine manage to feel distinct enough not to be a direct copy.
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is about exploring, fighting, and puzzle-solving your way through 3D environments. The game has been broken into multiple levels. Although puzzles were noted as a highlight, many reviewers felt that Indy’s controls were a bit jerky.
It received respectable scores with the PC version scoring an average 73% on Metacritic. The Infernal Machine and Indiana Jones were released only for PC and N64 in 2000 and 1999, respectively. They never received the wider distribution. It was probably because it was released too early for PS2, Xbox, and Dreamcast, but not enough late for Sega Saturn and the PlayStation.
5. Indiana Jones and The Emperor’s Tomb
Infernal Machine didn’t need to wait for a sequel, and that would be 2003’s Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. Indy was released on both Xbox and PS2 as well as Mac and PC versions. The Collective was responsible for the development of Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, while LucasArts was the publisher.
You’d expect Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb to have a similar gameplay as its predecessor. There are ten levels that you must complete around the globe. This sequel places less emphasis on puzzles, and more on combat. Indy can now use improved weapons such as broken table legs and chair legs to defeat enemies. It has the same issues that many games of this time face (hello, drunken camera), but it does an excellent job of evoking memories of the movies .
The Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is a great movie that makes you feel like you’re in Indiana Jones movies. It’s a vast improvement on Infernal Machine. There were a few visual glitches in the console version that were not present in the PC.
Despite the glitches, it’s still one the best Indiana Jones games. It captures the spirit of Indiana Jones so well that it is the first game that truly makes you feel like Indiana Jones.
4. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
The Lego videogame series is a massive success story that can’t be stopped, regardless of how much you love them. It was only natural that Star Wars’ Lucasfilm counterpart should get the Lego treatment after it had been successfully adapted to the Lego universe.
Travelers Tales developed Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. It allowed players to play as Indy or other characters. It allowed players to fight, collect, and build their way through The Original Trilogy.
You’re familiar with what to expect if you have ever played a Lego video game. The role of a character from the series is to guide the player through the levels, which are based on the three original movies. They will collect Lego bits and build items. You can also get grabbable weapons and drivable vehicles. Indy is afraid of snakes. Each level can be played to advance the story and unlock new characters.
The Lego games are very simple with just a few buttons controlling jumping, whipping, and punching the characters. This makes it easy to pick up and start playing. The original adventure also includes couch co-op which makes Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures fun with a friend. It received well by critics, and has a Metacritic score of 77.
Lego Indiana Jones 2 The Adventure Continues was also available, but it was too similar to the previous entry and didn’t merit an entry.
3. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
In the 1990s, LucasArts was a major player in point-and-click adventure gaming. There are no surprises that many of these titles were Indiana Jones-themed, and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure was the first of two graphic adventure games. It was a companion game to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. The Action Game. This game followed the same story as the movie but didn’t have any combat scenes or action scenes.
As with many LucasArts early adventure games, Indiana Jones: The Graphic Adventure featured an open-ended main window where the player could point and click on points of interest. The lower panel has commands such as “pick up” or “walk to”, and each does exactly what it says on its tin. It accurately depicts Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’s plot, with most of the key plot points. There isn’t much action but it captures the excitement of the movie quite well.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Graphic Adventure: The Graphic Adventure received a lot of attention upon its release and was considered one of the most popular graphic adventures available at the time. It was also the first game to introduce dialogue trees. This is something that is quite common in today’s gaming industry, but it wasn’t back in 1989.
The Graphic Adventure of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: This game laid the foundation for future adventure games and inspired later games with dialogue trees.
2. Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures
From 1992 to 1994, LucasArts enjoyed great success publishing Super Star Wars 2D Platformer on the SNES. Sculptured Software developed Super Star Wars. The team also created three games for each Star Wars trilogy. LucasArts decided to adapt the Indiana Jones Trilogy into a 2D platform, SNES-based game. Surprisingly, the films weren’t distributed over three games. Instead, the trilogy was made a standalone title, Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures, in 1995.
The imminent release of the next generation consoles was the most likely reason for this move. Both Saturn and PlayStation were released in late 1994. This was a good business move considering the SNES’s limited lifespan.
Factor 5 developed Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures. It was similar to the Super Star Wars 2D platformers. Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures featured a fantastic use of the SNES’ Mode 7 which created 3D graphics with pixels. This allowed for different gameplay options, including flying a plane and riding a minecart.
Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures wasn’t groundbreaking in the platform genre. It didn’t reach the same heights of Super Star Wars. However, everything it did, it did amazing well. Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures was a late platformer that came to console. This allowed it to learn from the Super Star Wars games.
Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures can be a difficult game. If you’re looking to play it now, it’s a great experience.
1. Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis
Finally, we are back at Atlantis. It’s not Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis are bad games. The Action Game is very good. However, the graphic adventure version of the game is simply outstanding.
It’s clear why LucasArts’ Indiana Jones graphic adventure game, which was their final, was one of the best. First, graphics have improved tremendously over the years between Indiana Jones: The Graphic Adventure, Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis. But, most importantly, Fate of Atlantis is an original story that wasn’t tied to a preexisting movie.
The Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is very similar in style to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. However, there are some tweaks that improve the experience. Although the control methods remain the same (keywords are located in a menu at the bottom of the screen), there has been a significant improvement to the UI. The MS-DOS command list is gone, replaced by a well-designed and clear menu.
Although it may have been a slight redesign compared to the predecessor, Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis was still a significant leap in graphic design. Technology advancements allowed for more color options, which meant that environments, characters, and items looked cleaner than their Last Crusade counterparts.
A fully voiced script was one of Indiana Jones’ major advantages. Fate of Atlantis, which was originally released on floppy disc in 1992, had text-only conversations, much like The Last Crusade. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis were re-released one year after its original release on a new format called CD-Rom. This allowed LucasArts to fully express the game’s story, something they would continue to do in future point and click games.
