Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

"I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."

Indiana Jones. The name alone is great enough to warrant a medal, and so is this game. Easily the best Indiana Jones games ever, with a plot that deserves to be the plot of the next movie, exotic and varied locations, lots of humor, Nazis, a wild female companion and a plot which manages to be tight and fun all the way through the game.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, is arguably, the most popular and well known Indiana Jones game to this date. Using the old tried and true point and click interface that especially Lucas Arts became famous for, it's a good old adventure game. Well, it's not only good, it's the best.

Plot
The attic is dark, filled with strange antics and objects. Everything is peaceful, until suddenly! It's Dr. Jones! Boosting a dramatic entrance by smashing through a window, he finds himself looking for a hidden object in the local university. After much searching and hard falls, he finds what he is looking for, only to be robbed by the persistent Nazis who have plans for world domination by using a newly found material called Orichalcum. After grouping up with Sophia, an ex-colleague, it's up to Indo to travel the world to stop the Nazis, and eventually discover the truth about Atlantis.

The plot is actually quite complicated and stands the test of time well, even to this date. Built up around ancient literature and mythology, including Plato and the much discussed Atlantis, this story could just as well have been the basis for the fourth movie, as it has every inch of the same high quality and enjoyable style that made the movies so incredible.

Gameplay
If you are familiar with the old Lucas Arts adventure games like Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max and so on, you won't need an introduction to Fate of Atlantis. It's exactly the same, controlling your character by pointing and clicking, interacting with objects and other characters, solving environmental puzzles and occasionally, fighting or getting yourself in deep trouble, all while enjoying a long, enjoyable story.

With a few exceptions, you control Indy in Fate of Atlantis. At a few points you are able to control Sophia, but for the most, the good doctor Jones will be your playable character. You walk around in prerendered scenes, and you can use your mouse to look around to find objects, paths, characters or other things that you can interact with. Find a particular object, and you can try various actions like moving, pushing, pulling, picking up, opening it and other things. Usually, only one action is correct, and for the most it's logical. However, the wrong ones are usually followed by a hilarious comment by Dr.Jones, and it can be just as fun to go a little crazy. You'll be able to pick up alot of weird items, and these can and will often be combined into new objects which you then can use to solve puzzles in the scene. The challenge usually comes from finding out what items to combine with what objects in the scene you are in, and when you can travel around to your previous locations at any time and use the objects you have gotten anywhere, it opens up to alot of possibilities. One of the, if not the only complaint, is that it can at times be very hard to see or find an object in a scene, since this game was before they started highlighting objects. Considering the spritebased graphics, things that look unimportant could be the item you are looking for and vice versa, but for most of the time this isn't a big problem, since objects will at least be mentioned in text.

The game takes place over several locations, making it varied and interesting to the end, although the first part of the end area can drag a little, but it spices up again. You'll travel to such exotic locations like Island, The Azores, Monte Carlo, The Algiers, Crete and of course, Atlantis. These areas are usually quite big and there's alot to do and see, many characters to talk to with tons of hilarious and interesting dialogue. Even in the most serious situations, the game doesn't take itself too seriously, and even the most dark situations are often filled by some humor to lighten up the situation. It doesn't rely on slapstick comedy or cheap humor, but it has a genuinely funny dialogue and characters that works great.

There are three paths to take during the game, which more than justifies at least three full playthroughs to see the whole of the game. You can choose to use your brain, your fists or work as a team with Sophia, and each of these scenarios are different enough to not make you feel like you're just replaying the same game. Yes, they do essentially take you to the same locations, but many scenes are played out completely different depending on what you chose, and in often different order with variations on the route. Due to the rather badly designed fight system, the fist path can and is usually the most frustrating one, and is usually recommended for those looking for an additional challenge.

Graphics
It's been 14 years since this game was released, and it does show. At the time it was released, it was an absolute wonder, but age has been so-so with it. Compared to games like Sam & Max and Day of the Tentacle who doesn't suffer as much from age, Fate of Atlantis just doesn't look as good anymore. That should be taken as a preparation though, as it shouldn't stop you from playing it. It's perfectly playable and the graphics are highly enjoyable and full of the old 90's charm, and it's barely a month since my last playthrough of the game. Even in these days, the design, charm and style keeps the game alive and looking well. My score is judged from what this game looked like at time of release, and in that sense it deserves full score. Just remember that the game is 14 years old and it still looks good, and you should be able to enjoy the game at max.

Sound
The first release of Fate of Atlantis, had no voice acting, so this review will cover the re-release with added voiceactors that came one year later. For a game at this age, the voiceacting is actually well done. They didn't secure Ford, but they managed to get a voiceactor who's not too bad and fills the spot. He has a dry, witty and yet wise and good willed tone that quickly grows on you, and it helps making you care for Indy despite not having the man himself being the wheel..err, voice. The other voiceacting is also excellent, with both Sophia and the mad Nazi Kerner being stars of the show. For such an old game, it's easily one of the best voice actings in a game.

And such a great soundtrack! While not being Williams, it uses the main theme(which can be heard several times throughout the game), and adds lots of nice and memorable music too. It's relaxing enough when you're solving puzzles without being annoying, and it kicks up the tempo when the scenes require it, showing a great thematic sense.

Conclusion
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is an instant classic that should be remembered as one of the greatest adventuregames. Yes, there were others that are among many considered better, including Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max, but the fact is that Fate of Atlantis nailed everything that makes Indiana Jones what he is, and what made the movies so fantastic. Everything from the personality, locations, sense of adventure, bad luck, great music, long lost treasures and myths, it's all here. I'm willing to bet one of these fine leather jackets that if the next movie would be based on this game, it could be the strongest in the series. 14 years later, and Fate of Atlantis is still one of the best adventuregames ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/06