Raiders of the Lost Ark (video game)

Raiders of the Lost Ark is an action-adventure game created for the Atari 2600 based on the movie of the same name (the first installment of the Indiana Jones series). The game was designed by Howard Scott Warshaw.[1]

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Developer(s)Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari, Inc.
Designer(s)Howard Scott Warshaw[1]
Platform(s)Atari 2600
ReleaseNovember 1982[2]
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The player controls Indiana Jones as he searches for the lost Ark of the Covenant. The game requires the player to use two different controllers: controller 2 moves Jones and its button uses an item; controller 1 selects the item to use and its button drops the item.

The video game is set in the city of Cairo in 1936, represented by an entrance room and a marketplace. From the entrance room, the player can blast a hole in the wall with a grenade and enter the Temple of the Ancients. Two paths await inside the Temple, both of which contain various dangers, after which the player will at last find the treasure room. Gold and artifacts can be picked up in the treasure room which will help the player later in the game.

The player must cross a mesa, on the other side of which lies the Map Room where the location of the Lost Ark is revealed. South of the Map Room is a Thieves Den and a Black Market. The Black Market contains various figures, such as two sheikhs, a Tsetse fly and a lunatic, and items needed to win the game (most notably a shovel).

After acquiring all needed items from the various rooms, the player returns to the mesa and jumps off using a parachute. The player goes inside the mesa, via a small hole at the end of a branch, and digs up the Ark, after dodging more thieves.

Development

The game began development in late 1981. "I had a 10-foot bullwhip that I got while doing Raiders of the Lost Ark, so I could get into character,” Warshaw said in an interview. "When I’d take breaks, I’d go around the hallways, sneak up behind people and crack the whip. It was really loud. Like a gunshot."[3]

The packaging, manual, and advertising artwork was painted by Atari art director James Kelly.[4]

Reception

Richard A. Edwards reviewed Raiders of the Lost Ark in The Space Gamer No. 61.[5] Edwards commented that "Though the graphics are not great (but they are fairly good) and the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme song has a note or two off-key, this is still the adventure cartridge of the year. Those gamers who prefer magic items, puzzles, and thoughtful play mixed with arcade movement should find Raiders well worth the price."[5]

Video Games in 1983 called Raiders of the Lost Ark "a more complex adventure game" than E.T., released a month later. The magazine noted that the documentation was incomplete and advised players to experiment with multiple ways to progress.[6] Electronic Games stated that the game "doesn't quite live up to its inspiration ... does not excel in excitement," and was inferior to Pitfall!.[7]

References
  1. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. "Raiders of the Lost Ark Starring You!". Atari Age. The Atari Club. 1 (4): 9. Nov–Dec 1982. ISSN 0731-5686. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  3. Powell, Darrin. "Howard's Revenge". Classic Gamer Magazine (Winter 1999-2000): 35. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. Lapetino, Tim (26 October 2016). Art Of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 177. ISBN 9781524101060. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. Edwards, Richard A. (March 1983). "Capsule Reviews". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (61): 41–42.
  6. Wiswell, Phil (March 1983). "New Games From Well-Known Names". Video Games. p. 69. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  7. "The Players Guide to Fantasy Games". Electronic Games. June 1983. p. 47. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
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