Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- July 1, 1989
- Lucasfilm Games
- 8h median play time
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a single-player historical arcade game, based on the popular movie. The game offers approximately 7 hours of playtime and is packed with two-fisted action, hilarious moments, and thrilling scenes from the film. Players relive Indy's adventure to recover the Holy Grail, battling enemies and overcoming obstacles across various locations portrayed in the movie.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Amiga
Atari St
Linux
Ms Dos
Reviews
- Nostalgic classic that brings back fond memories for many players.
- Engaging puzzles and multiple solutions encourage replayability.
- Follows the movie closely, providing a fun and humorous experience.
- Outdated graphics and sound, with clunky controls that can frustrate modern players.
- Trial and error gameplay can lead to unfair situations, making progress tedious.
- Combat mechanics are poorly designed, often resulting in player deaths and requiring restarts.
- graphics31 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure" are widely regarded as dated yet charming, reflecting the limitations of its 1989 release. While some players appreciate the attention to detail and the nostalgic pixel art, others criticize the smoothed visuals and poor font choices. Overall, the game's graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia, appealing to fans of classic adventure games despite their age.
“The graphics are dated but charming, and it loosely follows the plot of the film.”
“The 256-bit graphics look great by even modern standards due to a film-like level of detail in the pixel art, accompanied by solid animation and sound.”
“A quick mention’s in order for the graphics, which have aged well because of the attention to detail and actual effort that trumps a lot of indie games released to this very day.”
“The graphics are ugly: no pixel art, they are smoothed.”
“The last crusade leaves a lot to be desired and it really isn't as good as the other LucasArts graphic adventure games.”
“I'm not leaving this because of the very old graphics and sound.”
- story22 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story closely mirrors the plot of the film, offering a familiar yet simplified narrative that incorporates humor and some minor changes to fit the point-and-click format. While the writing is praised for its entertainment value, the progression can feel arbitrary and punitive, leading to frustration for some players. Overall, it provides a nostalgic experience for fans of classic adventure games, though the lack of significant story embellishments may limit its appeal.
“Even still, this game provides a greatly expanded, sensible, and fun plot that's worth experiencing.”
“Like you would hope, the plot moves along at a brisk pace similar to that of the movie and is entertaining no matter how familiar you are with the story, which has been changed in a few, mostly trivial ways.”
“A fun, simple point-and-click that more or less follows the story of the movie.”
“In fact, I'd say it is doubly so for this game, as diverging so distinctly from the immediate plot of the movie can sometimes leave me pondering my objectives, especially when, without any real notice, the story will only progress once I put myself into a situation that more or less mimics what happens in the movie.”
“The puzzles are generally logical, but when combined with the lack of verb auto-selection, seemingly random dialogue trees and incongruous gameplay sections, coupled with a story that most will be familiar with, it’s difficult to recommend.”
“Most of the story progression is punitive and arbitrary.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a simple point-and-click style, but it suffers from outdated controls and mechanics that can lead to frustration. While there are a variety of interaction options and logical puzzles, the experience is marred by clunky UI, inconsistent dialogue trees, and poor combat mechanics, making it difficult to recommend. Overall, the gameplay feels repetitive and lacks the engaging quality found in similar titles, with many players finding it ultimately unenjoyable.
“The gameplay is quite impressive; you have a lot of options from pull, push, give, open, close, walk to, talk to, use... I really like the 'what is' option, because if you select it and put your mouse over things, you can tell what you can interact with and what not!”
“The gameplay itself is what you would expect if you've played 'The Secret of Monkey Island,' 'Maniac Mansion,' 'Sam and Max Hit the Road,' and so on, with all the good and bad baggage that such a similarity bears.”
“Gameplay evolves naturally over time, and when experienced without those subtle, cumulative updates, the experience can border on intolerable.”
“But the controls and mechanics did not age well, and I couldn't enjoy the game because it's very frustrating.”
“But be warned; the UI and gameplay are severely clunky and outdated.”
“The puzzles are generally logical, but when combined with the lack of verb auto-selection, seemingly random dialogue trees, and incongruous gameplay sections, coupled with a story that most will be familiar with, it’s difficult to recommend.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by a blend of dry, visual gags reminiscent of 1990s classics, alongside witty writing that elicits genuine laughter. Players appreciate the quirky and referential humor that enhances the gameplay experience, making it a delightful homage to the LucasArts legacy. While the game may have some dated controls, its comedic elements and clever puzzles keep players engaged and entertained.
“The production value here is pretty high, which can be expected of big names like Ron Gilbert and Steve Purcell, respective titans of the point-and-click genre and the often goofy and dry visual humor that absolutely dominated the 1990s gaming market.”
“It also has plenty of the humor that you would expect from a LucasArts game, even making me laugh out loud in a few instances.”
“Much more down to earth than its cousin Monkey Island, yet sprinkled with witty—and occasionally hilarious—writing.”
- music9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting its sparse presence and lack of sound effects, leading to a disappointing audio experience overall. While some appreciate the occasional musical flourish, others criticize the quality and variety, comparing it unfavorably to older systems like the Atari 2600. Despite these criticisms, a few users highlight the soundtrack as a positive aspect, suggesting that it has redeeming qualities.
“The audio simulations make the (limited) music sound as intended.”
“Great soundtrack!”
“On top of that, the version here has barely any sound effects or music, in stark contrast to the 'Fate of Atlantis.'”
“Audio is sparse with no voice acting, and only the occasional musical flourish or sound effect, so much so that it becomes notable when they do appear.”
“The sound effects are appalling and the music sounds like something from the Atari 2600.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through its alternate paths, dynamic scripting engine, and multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different solutions and experiences. While many players appreciate the variety and potential for discovery in subsequent playthroughs, some feel that the replay value, while good, may not be compelling enough for repeated attempts. Overall, it strikes a balance between engaging exploration and a satisfying adventure experience.
“Replayability: instead of a simple one-and-done approach, the alternate paths do encourage multiple playthroughs.”
“Best adventure game since the Space Quest and King's Quest games. I beat it last week, but I realize that there are so many things that I didn't do in the game. The replay value is good, not Skyrim good, but good. Chances are you haven't done all you can do in the first playthrough. I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys good old-fashioned adventure games.”
“A dynamic scripting engine allowed for multiple solutions to many puzzles, and a progress system that encouraged replayability by rewarding you for finding alternate solutions to puzzles.”
“Pros of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade are that it is a point-and-click adventure, which means you can free roam a bit, and with there being different endings, the game has some replay value.”
“However, I like the random nature of some of the puzzle solutions; it gives the game some replay value... but not enough for me to ever do this again.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with each stage feeling more laborious than the last. This has led to a negative experience, particularly for those who typically enjoy adventure games.
“Each and every stage of this game is even more tedious than the previous one.”
“It became tedious to see what options worked and what didn’t.”
“I usually love adventure games, but this game is difficult and tedious in the worst way.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, particularly with the inclusion of a hint book that feels unnecessary given the availability of online resources.
“It seems like the entire project was one big cash grab, with an extra poke in the eye to buy the hint book (suck it LucasArts, the internet is a thing this time around).”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report a high level of stability, with no glitches encountered during gameplay.
“I encountered no glitches during my gameplay, which made for a smooth experience.”
“The game runs incredibly stable, allowing me to fully immerse myself without interruptions.”
“I was impressed by the stability; there were no crashes or bugs to disrupt my enjoyment.”
