The name Indiana Jones is synonymous with great adventure . It is in the movies, on television, in comics, in novels and, of course, in video games as well. In fact, his foray into the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum himself via Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is one of the best expeditions the rogue Indy has ever embarked on in any medium. A bar that, by the way, remains high decades later.
Because, perhaps, being an action and adventure game Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb it does not offer a script with the excellence of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis – after all, one of the best graphic adventures ever made- but he knows how to find greatness in his own way through the perfect balance between action and puzzles. Constantly retaining the feeling of discovery and challenge.
Sensations that, with relative frequency, manifest themselves before sections that resist us a little more than necessary and, as is to be expected, we soon discover that to solve them we must be just as skilled with the whip as with the mind. A mandatory requirement when entering environments as exotic and spectacular as they are dangerous.
Originally released in 2003 for PC and Xbox, with a bespoke version for PlayStation 2 coming in the summer of that same year, The Emperor’s Tomb offers Indy fans a prequel to the cinematic saga in which LucasArts dares -and manages to capture the best of the big screen betting on a relatively new genre of the time and that seemed tailor-made for the archaeologist: action and adventure in large three-dimensional environments.
In this way, the character imagined by George Lucas and Spielberg closes the circle by unapologetically embracing a formula that Lara Croft seemed to have made her own through the first titles of the Tomb Raider saga.
A second foray into 3D by Indy with nuances , yes: although our friend, Dr. Jones, will have in this new adventure with an extra agility when it comes to avoiding traps, enemies and dangers, LucasArts also give a special role to the confrontations. With punches, kicks, grabs and with lethal and improvised weapons through a revolutionary combat system.
Now, having said the above and despite the palpable interest of LucasArts to adapt to the increasingly ambitious contemporary adventure video games, the true milestone of The Emperor’s Tomb is how, as a whole, it ends up being totally faithful to the spirit of the character of Indiana Jones and – by extension – is totally in tune with cult movies.
So in Tomb of the Emperor we will not control Indy in an adventure designed for Lara Croft , but we will experience first-person one of the greatest adventures of the legendary archaeologist.
A plot brimming with mystery, twists and turns, and secret conspiracies that strive for power and world domination. Being the trigger for everything, as usual, the last great discovery of Dr. Jones.
And best of all: a game that does the icon justice and, in the process, gives the player the umpteenth chance to whip up Nazis, gigantic creatures, half-finished experiments, supernatural forces, and ultimately try to survive. the most powerful Chinese curse.
Because after the premiere of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, LucasArts herself had her hands full shaping countless projects related to the galactic saga. But LucasFilm’s video game division also knew how to shine in galaxies not so far away. Especially in the projects related to Indiana Jones.
Proof of this is that the care that was put into making Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb match the character and his legacy was truly exceptional. A pampering, by the way, by the game engine and the talent of The Collective.
Indy against the curse of the first great emperor of China
Dr. Henry Indiana Jones Jr. has been left speechless and speechless in his classroom at Marshall College. Kai Ti Cheng and Mei Ying, two agents of the Chinese government, have just smashed, right under their noses, their latest discovery: the idol of the goddess Kouru Watu .
Regardless of the enormous archaeological value of that idol, Indy had risked his skin to get it . A few days ago he went deep into the jungle of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka ) wielding his whip, a machete to cut the vines and a revolver in case things went wrong . To obtain it he had to make use of everything.
Beyond the dangers, traps and the gigantic crocodile that protected that relic, Indy had to face Albrecht Von Beck and his men. The Wehrmacht and the German regime set out to seize the goddess idol at all costs, and for Von Beck eliminating Jones in the process would have been an added bonus .
With more mischief than luck , Dr. Jones had narrowly survived the dangers of Ceylon. Precisely for this reason, seeing his most recent and most valuable treasure reduced to broken and loose pieces was the penultimate thing he expected to see when Agents Cheng and Ying entered his classroom. The last? To Indy’s greater surprise, the Kouru Watu heart appeared among the remains of the idol, from one of the fragments of the Mirror of Dreams.
Divided into three pieces scattered around the world, the Mirror of Dreams is the key to accessing the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang , the first emperor of the unified China. A burial structure so imposing that it has kept the curious away for hundreds of years.
Because beyond the Chinese superstitions around the customs of breaking into tombs, especially when they are guarded by an army of more than 7,000 warriors and life-size terracotta horses, it is said that a powerful curse will punish those who dare to break into the tomb of the emperor. Unless, of course, that whoever enters has possession of the Mirror of Dreams.
Although the claim of the adventure itself is sweet enough for Indy, the threat that begins to manifest before ends up clarifying his doubts about embarking on this crusade: among the properties of the Mirror of Dreams is the ability to control minds . This being too powerful a weapon for the emerging Nazi regime that is beginning to spread across Europe.
Thus, Indiana Jones returns to action. The archaeologist exchanges the bow tie that he wears at Marshall College for his adventurer’s hat and, with the whip on his belt, sets off for Prague in search of the next fragment of the mirror. Being fully aware that Von Beck – and the German regime – have a slight advantage in this race against time in which the fate of the world is at stake.
Although the plot of Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is not its maximum claim, at least for the player, it knows how to link with great success the different and exotic locations that all Indiana Jones experience requires. Including wilderness areas, temples, not-so-abandoned castles, motorized cities, and ultimately the Emperor’s Tomb.
A spectacular journey full of action and puzzles in which we will travel with great skill and even more curiosity from huge hidden temples lost in the jungles of Sri Lanka to the streets of Hong Kong, passing through Prague and Istanbul. Making, as expected, our particular foray into the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in the great climax of history.
And what is best of all: establishing ties, little by little, with the classic trilogy of films – remember that Indiana Jones The Kingdom of Crystal Skull had not yet been released – through very recognizable situations that every fan will be able to experience.
Because Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb spins and channels with great success classic adventure plots – and those great conflicts of power typical of the saga – with mystical elements that explode in their final bars. And finally, LucasArts and The Collective round out the whole experience by connecting the game itself with the film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.
What it’s like to play Indiana Jones The Emperor’s Tomb today
As we started at the beginning, referring to the character of Indiana Jones is exploring the essence of adventure . Precisely, that has made Indy the mold of great video game heroes like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider or Nathan Drake, from Uncharted. And, in this sense, The Emperor’s Tomb feels like a curious mix between the two sagas, generously seasoned with all the components of the films.
All, with one small exception: Indy’s voice. Perhaps it is an absolutely personal matter. But if the voice of Salvador Vidal – habitual voice of Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson or Liam Neeson in Spain – is part of the essence of the character of Indiana Jones in its Spanish version, I have to admit that the tone and work of Luis Bajo ( Charlie Sheen, Michael Keaton or Jeff Goldblum in Spain) for the game is to remove the hat.
Because Indiana Jones is n’t just a guy with a whip and a hat . This is evident in the graphic adventures starring the LucasFilm archaeologist and is still present in The Emperor’s Tomb in the cinematics, the narrated scenes and even when our hero sighs aloud with a ” I should have stayed teaching” before the appearance of a trap with huge sharp saws sprouting from the wall.
That said, diving into the gaming experience is still a joy almost two decades later . The game engine and the hand of The Collective at the time of squeezing it to create huge scenarios that, at the same time, are giant puzzles hold the type, even if we leave the nostalgia parked.
And, for example, here we leave you the first hour of Indiana Jones The Emperor’s Tomb game, through Xbox Series X.
Logically, not everything is great joys. There are aspects that have evolved a lot since 2003 in adventure games, starting with an inventory management system using the right crosshead that was able to offer good ideas in its day and that, on the other hand, today would earn whole points with a set-up .
All in all, The Emperor’s Tomb cleverly adapts to the inventory system and even through its level design. And even, if we look closely, we will see clues about what to use or what we can interact with in the upper right margin. Because the game is challenging in its own way, but it knows how to prevent the player from getting stuck.
Obligatory and very special mention to the combat system. The Collective really put a lot of effort into integrating melee attack mechanics, as well as the use of knives and even firearms. Both when it comes to Indy’s repertoire and when it comes to our enemies and their behavior. And the truth is that the ideas are good , but they have not aged in tune with the whole.
In addition to the combos or the finishes on the ground, we can access grabbing techniques, get away and even make use of the decoration or what we see on the screen (chairs, bottles, shovels …) to inflict extra damage in fights that They are not solved with chains of blows, but through fights on a relative level playing field.
On the other hand, firearms and conventional weapons have no middle ground: the Parabellum pistols (the Luger ) of our enemies seem to use blank bullets -even if we use them- and the amount of lashes necessary to reduce any rival it’s huge. However, in its defense, there is an interesting proportion of levels that are solved through infiltration.
Indiana Jones can cause accidents and traverse small specific sections with sufficient stealth. Even cause distractions. And, yes well, our hero is very far from Solid Snake’s skill in Metal Gear Solid, the way in which these mechanics are implemented makes the design of the already huge scenarios more interesting.
In fact, and following the tonic of Tomb Raider and so many adventure games, there are great sections in which we must dive without losing sight of the oxygen bar. Which can be a threat, especially considering the strict save point system.
Each of the ten main chapters of the game is divided into several levels, most of them large, with a specific objective. And if we are eliminated in the last of the bars, for example when we fail a jump into the void, generally we will have to restart the level from the beginning.
Which added to the fact that, as we said at the beginning, Indy does not have feline agility , it makes the level of challenge towards the player intensify . In return, when everything goes well, the emotion of having overcome a real challenge is recovered. To achieve an achievement either by skill born of trial and error, by skill or by mere luck. Sensations that should not be missing in any adventure.
Because Indiana Jones The Tomb of the Emperor was not a perfect launch game, and if we compare it with other games with which it shared a shelf, it cannot be considered one of the maximum references of action and adventure video games. But it must be admitted that, to this day, its successes end up outweighing its shortcomings. And that is too much already.
The Emperor’s Tomb: A Custom Made Indiana Jones Video Game
Six years after the release of Tomb of the Emperor , LucasArts released the last great game based on the character: Indiana Jones and the Scepter of Kings. An enormous time span succeeded by an even greater one in which Jones’s legacy has lived on in video games solely through his gifted students.
That said, the great milestone of Indiana Jones The Tomb of the Emperor was how LucasArtsno limited himself to taking advantage of the hero’s whip tug and spicing up the whole with the brand-new fanfare of John Williams ; but to make an experience tailored to the legendary Indiana Jones taking advantage of the video game format.
Because the design and content offered by each of its levels, the way of approaching the context of each chapter and the way of weaving it all towards a spectacular ending translates into a majestic continuation of the character’s legacy that continues to delight fans of Indy, of the gamer and the cinephile.
And while the physics of Indiana Jones The Tomb of the Emperor are the best evidence that he is a child of his time; In regards to its details and the resolution of its puzzles and traps, it continues to shine with its own light.
Being ambitious and generous -when it touches- in question and finishes, especially to encourage the curiosity of the player, and maintaining the level of constant challenge until the end of the adventure. An ending that takes place, by the way, in the underworld the Chinese underworld, the Di Yu.
While the sensational level design is one of the game’s great attractions, even to this day, the all-new combat system created specifically for Indy remains lackluster at a time when we have become comfortably accustomed to firearms and enemies that With few exceptions, they rarely cause big problems.
In fact, despite the fact that in Indiana Jones The Emperor’s Tomb we played in the third person, a first-person pointing system was implemented that also helped us to better study the scenario. Although – being really fair – this system was already far behind what was seen in Metal Gear Solid 2.
The aim and action being two aspects to take into account in the face of Indy’s promised return to video games: MachineGames (responsible for the Wolfenstein saga) are at the forefront of the announced -and celebrated- new project by Indiana Jones.
Indy’s return to video games serves as a great blow on the table to announce the new role of a LucasFilm Games that should never have gone to the second row and whose licenses make the new generation of consoles even more interesting.
And, while we take it for granted that MachineGames knows very well how to deal with the Nazis and twist their plans in a big way, what we really hope to find is an action adventure worthy of the legendary Indiana Jones . For many, the standard-bearer of the classic adventure in the seventh art.
A new stage for Dr. Jones that is also a challenge for Bethesda and LucasFilm Games. And, at the same time, an opportunity to recover and update all hits of The Emperor’s Tomb. A truly exceptional game with a premise of ten that could not once compete with Tomb Raider, but achieved a different milestone: successfully conveying the feeling of being Indiana Jones.
