Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine: Retro Review

DORK KNIGHT 86 (Josh Blair)
Dec 19, 2018
3 min read

A blast from the past.

Человек в шляпе вернулся.

Indy uses an ancient laser system to open a door.

The sequel to point-and-click 1992 Lucasarts adventure title Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was released in 1999.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. (1992)

It was mostly met with praise, though some critics thought the controls made it unwieldy to play.

Dr. Jones surveys the descent into the canyon.

The last time I played it, I was about 12 years old.

It was one of my favorite games of all time back then, but does it still hold up?

Indy uses his trusty bullwhip to swing across a chasm.

The year is 1947.

We find Dr. Jones in the canyonlands of Utah.

Indy examines a potsherd from the dig site.

After doing a bit of exploring, Indy sees a helicopter fly overhead.

An unexpected visitor.

He makes a comment about how good news rarely travels fast, then heads back to camp to find out what's going on.

Sophia tries to convince Indy to join the cause.

His unexpected visitor also happens to be his old flame from the fate of Atlantis, Sophia Hapgood. She represents the CIA now, and offers Indy a chance to beat the Russians in a race for the ultimate weapon- a inter-dimensional conduit called "the Infernal Machine."

One of the many impressive level setpieces.

Running low on funding from Barnett College and possessing an unquenchable desire to unearth archaeological mythologies, Indy agrees to accompany Sophia to the kingdom of Iraq.

(Google Earth Photo)

Upon arrival to Babylon, Indy begins his hunt for the ruins of Etemenanki, an ancient ziggurat that is speculated to be the original tower of Babel. In Sumerian, Etemenanki means "House of the foundation of heaven on earth".

The PC controls are fairly intuitive, and once you get over the slight delay that occurs when grabbing for a ladder or pulling an environmental object, everything feels pretty damn smooth.

Volodnikov speaks with a transmissions officer.

Indy quickly learns of Soviet physicist Gennadi Volodnikov's plans to commune with Marduk, the inter-dimensional entity for whom Etemenanki was built. He wants to harness the power of its portal to Marduk's realm, the Aetherium.

The portal to the Aetherium.

Creator Hal Barwood and his team went above and beyond with the scope and aesthetic of the game, going so far as to rebuild the Sith engine entirely, eventually renaming it the Jones engine.

Nebuchadnezzar's library-maybe.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a big game. Spanning 17 massive levels in total, (including a bonus level where you return to the infamous Peru location from Raiders) you will visit Utah, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Mexico, the Sudan, King Solomon's mines, and the extra-dimensional Aetherium.

The Shambala Sanctuary in the Tian Shan mountains.

You'll explore pyramids, caves, islands, escape a Soviet battleship, fight a host of commies, otherworldly monsters, and bosses.

Mine cart mayhem.

You'll experience a mine cart race that is an awesome homage to Temple of Doom, do some whitewater rafting, and much, much more.

Indy faces the Palawan lava guardian.

There was also an N64 port that came out shortly after the initial release, exclusive to the Lucasarts store and Blockbuster video locations in the U.S.

The N64 port introduced the ability to map items to the D-pad, ala Ocarina of Time, and introduced the Z-targeting feature as well.

The N64 version was praised for it's revamped lighting effects, tightened controls, and additional musical content. It replaced the quicksave feature with an autosave, and required the N64 expansion pack to play.

It was also quite buggy, character models looked far worse than its PC counterpart, and exhibited muddy texturing and mouths no longer moved during cutscenes.

-PC Review-

The negative:

Tank controls can be a bit wonky, and the collision detection system is dated. Graphics are terrible by today's standards. These minor issues do not make the game any less fun, however.

The positive:

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is still just as ambitious a game as it ever was. The story is well written and voice-acted, the levels are massive and packed with hidden areas and treasures to discover, and each level is a puzzle in itself.

The verdict:

9/10

Newly available on GOG.com, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a classic and if you are an Indy fan, you should quit being a cheap bitch and pick it up for $5.99.

(Click here to jump to the GOG game page)

Want a comprehensive guide with screenshots? Sinjin's IJATIM guide is the best I've seen. Click here to visit his page.

Wanna see it in action first? Click here to watch me play the second level.