It doesn't have to be so hard.
It's strange to think that only one year separated LucasArts point-and-click adventure games Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Secret of Monkey Island. Whereas the latter was a gem of a game -- challenging without being impossible -- the former is maddeningly frustrating. It's a shame, really. There was an opportunity in Last Crusade for a terrific movie tie-in. Yet, despite some excellent puzzles and a great sense of humor, Last Crusade squanders the opportunity with some head-scratching design choices.
For anyone who's seen Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the plot of the game will be instantly familiar. Although some sections are built upon -- the Venice catacombs and Brunwald Castle feature hugely expanded sections -- and others are removed completely -- where's Sallah! -- the basic storyline is well represented. In 1938, professor of archaeology Indiana Jones seeks out the legendary Holy Grail across Europe and the Middle East. Along the way he searches for his father, who went missing on an earlier expedition.
There is nothing at all wrong with the story. It's a solid adaptation from the movie. Graphics and sound are similarly good; they produce a cinematic effect throughout the game. The problem is much bigger than that. It concerns the basic gameplay of Last Crusade, specifically fist fights and the "Indy Quotient," which is a blessing and a curse.
You wouldn't expect to see many (or any) action set-pieces in a point-and-click adventure game, but in Last Crusade there are over a dozen. At certain levels in the game, engaging in fist fights with enemy guards is virtually unavoidable. The designers at LucasArts were wise enough to include a fighting tutorial at the onset of the game, but the sad truth is that it's not very helpful. Players control Indy during fights with the number pad on the keyboard: if Indy is facing right, 9, 6, and 3 deliver high, mid-level, and low punches; 8, 5, and 2 block; and 7, 4, and 1 retreat. Sounds pretty complex, right? In reality, you're much more likely to simply smash your fist into the number bad in a desperate, and ultimately futile, attempt to beat back your opponent. Fist fighting is a miserable experience. There are ways to avoid fist fights, in Brunwald Castle and on the road out of Germany, but only by choosing the correct dialogue options from a rather large, branching dialogue tree. But this is all a matter of trial and error. And if you choose the wrong dialogue, and end up losing the resulting fist fight, it's game over. That's right: in Last Crusade you can die. And you will die, often.
Connected to this issue of sword fights is the "Indy Quotient," or "IQ." This is a system that is actually rather brilliant. It allows players to finish the game in several different ways, thus boosting replay value considerably. Players are awarded IQ points for finding alternative solutions to puzzles. The only problem with this system is that, unlike Monkey Island for example, players can progress in the game without items that would be needed much later. There are a host of hidden items that players don't know to look for, and so they are left empty handed when the puzzle eventually presents itself later in the game. They can still move forward (to prevent such movement would be cruel) but usually along the much more difficult and dangerous path. And what's typically on that path? You guessed it! Fist fights.
When Indy isn't fighting for his life, Last Crusade is a great experience. The puzzles are demanding and creative, with a few of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. Catacombs in Venice and the game's finale are stand-outs. As mentioned before, graphics and sound are quite good, although most of the music is borrowed from the movie. The biggest problem is the game's insistence on incredibly frustrating action set pieces with clunky controls -- something that just doesn't fit in with a point-and-click adventure game. The "Indy Quotient" isn't a problem per se, but it's employed in a way that punishes unaware players instead of simply rewarding the most observant and diligent.
The best part about Last Crusade, surprisingly, is its instruction manual. It's not your traditional manual with a list of enemies, control schemes, and other options. Its a faithfully recreated version of Henry Jones' Grail diary complete with newspaper clippings, drawings, journal entries, and coffee stains. At over 65 pages, the manual seems daunting, but it's really a pleasure to read: the perfect appetizer for a heroic journey.
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| Release year: 1989 |
For anyone who's seen Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the plot of the game will be instantly familiar. Although some sections are built upon -- the Venice catacombs and Brunwald Castle feature hugely expanded sections -- and others are removed completely -- where's Sallah! -- the basic storyline is well represented. In 1938, professor of archaeology Indiana Jones seeks out the legendary Holy Grail across Europe and the Middle East. Along the way he searches for his father, who went missing on an earlier expedition.
There is nothing at all wrong with the story. It's a solid adaptation from the movie. Graphics and sound are similarly good; they produce a cinematic effect throughout the game. The problem is much bigger than that. It concerns the basic gameplay of Last Crusade, specifically fist fights and the "Indy Quotient," which is a blessing and a curse.
 |
| X never, ever marks the spot. |
You wouldn't expect to see many (or any) action set-pieces in a point-and-click adventure game, but in Last Crusade there are over a dozen. At certain levels in the game, engaging in fist fights with enemy guards is virtually unavoidable. The designers at LucasArts were wise enough to include a fighting tutorial at the onset of the game, but the sad truth is that it's not very helpful. Players control Indy during fights with the number pad on the keyboard: if Indy is facing right, 9, 6, and 3 deliver high, mid-level, and low punches; 8, 5, and 2 block; and 7, 4, and 1 retreat. Sounds pretty complex, right? In reality, you're much more likely to simply smash your fist into the number bad in a desperate, and ultimately futile, attempt to beat back your opponent. Fist fighting is a miserable experience. There are ways to avoid fist fights, in Brunwald Castle and on the road out of Germany, but only by choosing the correct dialogue options from a rather large, branching dialogue tree. But this is all a matter of trial and error. And if you choose the wrong dialogue, and end up losing the resulting fist fight, it's game over. That's right: in Last Crusade you can die. And you will die, often.
 |
| Players can learn to fight in the gym, or they could save time and toss their computer out the window. |
Connected to this issue of sword fights is the "Indy Quotient," or "IQ." This is a system that is actually rather brilliant. It allows players to finish the game in several different ways, thus boosting replay value considerably. Players are awarded IQ points for finding alternative solutions to puzzles. The only problem with this system is that, unlike Monkey Island for example, players can progress in the game without items that would be needed much later. There are a host of hidden items that players don't know to look for, and so they are left empty handed when the puzzle eventually presents itself later in the game. They can still move forward (to prevent such movement would be cruel) but usually along the much more difficult and dangerous path. And what's typically on that path? You guessed it! Fist fights.
When Indy isn't fighting for his life, Last Crusade is a great experience. The puzzles are demanding and creative, with a few of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. Catacombs in Venice and the game's finale are stand-outs. As mentioned before, graphics and sound are quite good, although most of the music is borrowed from the movie. The biggest problem is the game's insistence on incredibly frustrating action set pieces with clunky controls -- something that just doesn't fit in with a point-and-click adventure game. The "Indy Quotient" isn't a problem per se, but it's employed in a way that punishes unaware players instead of simply rewarding the most observant and diligent.
 |
| One of the very best video game manuals |
The best part about Last Crusade, surprisingly, is its instruction manual. It's not your traditional manual with a list of enemies, control schemes, and other options. Its a faithfully recreated version of Henry Jones' Grail diary complete with newspaper clippings, drawings, journal entries, and coffee stains. At over 65 pages, the manual seems daunting, but it's really a pleasure to read: the perfect appetizer for a heroic journey.
Score: 6.5
Reading about the Indy Quotient is very familiar to me.. it makes me think I took at stab at this game (probably with the aid of my mom) when I was very little, and it was deemed too much for young minds (i.e all the fighting). I really would like to play it though, and I'm bummed it sounds less than perfect. I may still take a crack at it some day, while I'm sitting around waiting for a worthy sequel to Monkey Island....
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