The Dark Crystal (video game)

The Dark Crystal is a graphic adventure game based on Jim Henson's 1982 fantasy film, The Dark Crystal. The game was designed by Roberta Williams and published under the SierraVenture line in 1983[1] as Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal. It is the first Hi-Res Adventure released under the SierraVenture line, the previous games being released under earlier names and later re-released under SierraVenture. An alternate version of the game for younger players called Gelfling Adventure was released in 1984.[2][3]

The Dark Crystal
Developer(s)Sierra On-Line
Publisher(s)SierraVenture
Designer(s)Roberta Williams
Artist(s)Jim Mahon
SeriesHi-Res Adventure
EngineADL
Platform(s)Apple II, Atari 8-bit
Release1983[1]
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot

The Dark Crystal is set in Thra, a world with three suns. Every thousand years the three suns come together in an event known as "The Great Conjunction".[1] The player controls Jen, a gelfling. Two souls are destined to battle to reveal the secrets of their past. One warrior's fate rests in the hands of a tyrannical villain who is hellbent on destruction.

The game features no music, a single beep is used to alert that no action other than the return key can be taken and a double beep if another command is used at that time.

Development

It took Roberta Williams a little over a month to develop the design for the game, which was then turned over to programmers and artists.[4]

Reception

Softline in 1983 wrote that "In a way, it's better than the movie", stating The Dark Crystal's "thin story that failed to serve the movie well is comparatively top-drawer material in the game" and calling the graphics "delightful".[5] The game would go on to receive a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Computer Adventure" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards.[6]

References
  1. "The Dark Crystal - Cover Art - MobyGames". www.mobygames.com. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  2. "Gelfling Adventure". Museum of Computer Adventure Game History. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. "Gelfling Adventure". Vintage-Sierra.net. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  4. Anderson, John (March 1983). "The dark crystal". Creative Computing. p. 168. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  5. Tommervik, Margot Comstock (May–Jun 1983). "The Dark Crystal". Softline. p. 45. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  6. Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (February 1984). "Arcade Alley: The 1984 Arcade Awards, Part II". Video. Reese Communications. 7 (11): 28–29. ISSN 0147-8907.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.