This list intends to provide a comprehensive overview of all Indiana Jones video games to both experienced fans of the movies and newcomers to the franchise looking to learn more.
If the title didn’t give it away, this post would talk about Indiana Jones video games. Grab a whip, a fedora, and a sharp-looking shirt because we’re going on an adventure! Pac-Man World 2 starts off our journey.
Although, I’ve often heard people say that it’s not a real Indiana Jones video game because it’s based on an arcade game instead of the film.
Though technically they’re right, that depends on which movie you choose to start with: Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Temple of Doom?
The first was based on a pulp magazine before being adapted into books, but isn’t Temple of Doom (or any movie) just another adaptation of something else? Like the comics Hollywood is based on? Below is a list of Indiana Jones video games.
Pac-Man World 2
Pac-Man World 2 is a platform game developed by Namco Hometek and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was ported to the P.C. in 2004. It is the sequel to the 1999 video game Pac-Man World.
Pac-Man World 2 was released to positive reception from critics. The plot of Pac-Man World 2 involves the evil Spooky going back in time with his ghost minions to steal the fruit of all time.
This causes a lot of chaos, but luckily Pac-Man has an ally named Orson, who also has a time machine. The player controls Pac-Man, who must travel through various places to retrieve all the stolen fruit and stop Spooky from destroying Pac-Land.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Without this game, you can’t make a list of Indiana Jones video games. In 1982, Atari released an arcade game based on the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
It was one of the first games to use digitized graphics, which allowed developers to use actual images from the movie. This game is considered a prototype for future action-adventure games.
In 1983, Lucasfilm Games released The Temple of Doom for the Atari 2600, and it was followed in 1984 by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, an isometric view adventure game with scrolling screens made for the Commodore 64 and IBM PC.
A text adventure game titled Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients was released in 1987 by Lucasfilm Games for MS-DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Macintosh, and Commodore 64.
In 1989, Lucasfilm Games released Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures, a point-and-click adventure game made by Joseph B. Hewitt IV and Michael Kosaka that ran on MS-DOS computers with VGA graphics cards.
In 1992, LucasArts released Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis for DOS and later for Mac OS, Amiga and Windows. In 1994 they released The Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, based on the last film in the trilogy.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom arcade
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is an action video game based on the 1984 film of the same name. It was released by Atari Games in 1985 for its Atari System 1 hardware.
The game is an adaptation of several scenes from the film, including a fight with a giant stone statue, a mine cart chase scene, and an escape from a pit filled with lava.
Players control Indiana Jones as he fights through various areas using his whip or a gun to defeat enemies.
Upon release, the game was well-received, with critics praising its graphics and sound effects. It was one of the more popular arcade games in the U.S. in 1985, though critics later cited its short length as one of its flaws. A sequel to the game was released in 1986, titled Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1985 action-adventure platformer published and developed by U.S. Gold for the Commodore 64, MSX, and Z.X. Spectrum.
It was released in 1986 for the Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit family, BBC Micro, and Electron. In 1987, it was ported to the Atari S.T. and the Amiga.
The game is based on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; its plot follows that of the film more closely than any other Indiana Jones game has before or since.
It was one of the first licensed games available for multiple home computers rather than just one. The Commodore 64 version was released in diskette and cassette tape.
The diskette version had music between levels and some extra graphics but ran slower than its cassette counterpart, which loaded faster but lacked music between levels or some graphics.
Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom
Indiana Jones and the Lost Kingdom is the fifth game in the LucasArts Indiana Jones series. The game was released on October 30, 1997, and is based on the film of the same name.
The game follows Indiana Jones as he searches for a lost Incan city and its treasures. He must avoid a band of mercenaries under the leadership of Marion Ravenwood, who wants to take control of the city for herself.
The action-adventure game has been praised for its visuals and gameplay but criticized for its “linear” nature and lack of multiplayer modes. This is another good addition to our list of Indiana Jones video games.
Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients
Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients is a 1985 graphic adventure video game by Lucasfilm Games. It is the first game to use the SCUMM engine, used in the later games Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island.
The graphics are monochrome with a few color touches, like the Lucasfilm logo at the beginning of the green/blue palette at the title screen. A color version of the game was also released for Apple IIgs, Atari S.T., and Amiga computers.
The game is set around 1935. The player takes on the role of Indiana Jones, whose task is to find and return three ancient artifacts to their proper places before villains find them first. These artifacts are found on a temple in Peru, a castle in Bavaria, and an island in Micronesia.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: the list of Indiana Jones video games cant be complete without this. The Action Game is a video game released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari S.T., Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Z.X. Spectrum in 1989 by U.S. Gold and Lucasfilm Games.
It is based on the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The game was followed in 1992 by Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, a graphic adventure also developed by LucasArts.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is an adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games in 1989.
It was the third game to use the SCUMM engine, and the game was set in 1938. The player controls Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones as he attempts to locate his father, Professor Henry Jones, Sr., who has been kidnapped by the Nazis searching for the Holy Grail.
The storyline of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is based on that of the film of the same name, with some minor changes.
In 1991, a sequel to this game was released: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, focusing on a search for that mythical city.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
This is another good Indiana jones video game. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a series of educational, historical adventure video games based on the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
It was released in 1992 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, in 1993 on the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear, and in 1994 on the Super NES.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 action-adventure video game by Lucasfilm Games. It was released on various platforms, including PC DOS and Amiga.
It is notable for being one of the first titles to use LucasArts’ SCUMM engine. The original idea was to make a game based on the Indiana Jones movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. However, that idea was dropped in favor of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Instruments of Chaos starring Young Indiana Jones
This is one of the best Indiana jones video games, Instruments of Chaos, starring Young Indiana Jones (also known as Instruments of Chaos), and is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game released by JVC in 1993.
The game is based on the T.V. series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and centers around the teenage years of the character Indiana Jones.
The game was re-released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console, under the title Indiana Jones and the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in 1994.
The game features two playable characters, a young Indiana Jones and an adult Henry Jones Sr., each player having a different set of levels to play through.
In addition, some levels are divided into two parts; a segment where Indiana Jones Jr. plays as an adult or Henry Jones Sr. plays as a child and another segment where they switch to playing as their younger selves or their older selves, respectively.
The levels that involve both characters playing together are cooperative, with each character controlled by a separate player.
Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures
Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures is a side-scrolling action-platformer video game released for the Super NES in 1994. In it, you play Indiana Jones as you travel through ancient ruins and try to recover lost relics.
The controls are straightforward, with only a few moves. The A and B buttons control your whip and jump, respectively, and you can use the D-pad to move around.
You can also pick up items and throw them at enemies. The game has three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
The gameplay is pretty straightforward: you run from left to right, fighting enemies along the way with your whip or throwing things at them. There are occasional puzzles to solve, such as pushing blocks into holes or using switches to open doors.
The graphics are perfect for the time. The sprites are large and detailed, and the backgrounds look great too. The music is fitting for each level but not particularly memorable.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis: The Action Game
It is a 1992 point-and-click graphic adventure game by LucasArts originally released for MS-DOS. A version for Amiga was released later in 1992, followed by a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version in 1993.
An enhanced CD version, which included full voice acting, was released for PC DOS and Mac in 1993. It was re-released as part of the LucasArts Classic Adventures in 1995, a compilation that included Maniac Mansion and Loom.
In 2009, the game was re-released along with The Secret of Monkey Island on Steam by LucasArts’ new owner Disney Interactive Studios.
A sequel to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (1989), it features an original plot written by Hal Barwood, Noah Falstein, David Fox, and Steve Purcell.
Following his return from his last adventure in 1938, archaeologist Indiana Jones is contacted by an old friend from his days at the University of Chicago, Sophia Hapgood.
The latter had become a psychic medium during her travels to Tibet. She tells him about a recent Nazi excavation near Glastonbury Tor, where she believes they are searching for Camelot. Jones finds himself drawn into a quest for the mythical.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis graphic adventure
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a graphic adventure game by LucasArts originally released in 1992. It was re-released as an enhanced ‘talkie’ version with full voice acting and digitally recorded sound effects in 1993.
The plot centers around fictional versions of Indiana Jones, his former lover Sophia Hapgood, and his colleague Marcus Brody.
The game is based on characters and scenarios from the Indiana Jones franchise. Set in 1939, intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones and his partner Sophia Hapgood are once again called upon to prevent the Nazis from harnessing the power of an artifact.
After their employer, Henry Jones Sr. disappears while investigating the whereabouts of the legendary sunken city of Atlantis, Indy is contacted by Sophia’s old friend Marcus Brody at the Marshall College to aid him in locating her.
The game was released for Amiga, MS-DOS, and Mac OS computers. It has been ported to other systems since then, including F.M. Towns,[2] Sega CD,[3] Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console,[4] as iPhone/iPod Touch App[5], and as a part of The LucasArts Archives Vol 1 for iOS devices.
Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures
This is one of the best Indiana Jones video games. In 1996, LucasArts released Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures for P.C.
It was a point-and-click adventure game in the vein of Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, and Sam & Max Hit the Road. You played as Indy, exploring different environments, solving puzzles, and uncovering artifacts.
Desktop Adventures was meant to be played in short bursts, like a choose-your-own-adventure book, and players could even design their levels using the included level editor.
In other words, it was perfect for a quick gaming fix during your lunch break at work or when you got home from school.
The graphics were charmingly cartoonish, with characters that looked like they came straight out of an old comic book.
The game had multiple story arcs that would begin with Indy finding himself trapped by some snake cult or evil gangster that he needed to get away from before continuing his treasure hunt.
As you progressed through the game and started uncovering more pieces of each puzzle, Indy would have visions that showed him where he had to go next to find the item he needed to escape his current predicament and move on to the next stage of his journey.
