Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time!!1!

#1: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

LucasArts – 1992

Shortly after I wrote my original Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time list, I chatted with Agustin Cordes, a fellow adventure gaming journalist who I have a great deal of respect for. I asked him to outline his Top 20 for me, and he did, finishing with this statement that I cannot disagree with:

“I think Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis is the quintessential adventure, the perfect blend between story and puzzles. It has everything you could ask in an adventure game.”

Man, I could not agree more. I remember so well the first time I played this game, how riveted I was, how excited I was to be in the world of one of the greatest movie heroes of all time, travelling the globe, whip in hand, brain moving at warp speed, solving puzzles and defeating Nazis.

Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis, as if you didn’t already know, features five levels of Nazi-busting, globe-trotting action, all in perfectly rendered 3/4 isometric view (which would prove to be an essential inspiration for Diablo–another brilliant adventure that barely missed this countdown) and sprinkled with a heavy dose of difficulty. Yes, any intrepid adventure fan would tell you that they fondly remember the puzzles of Fate of Atlantis–such as the “don’t let the crazy bellboys beat the holy living crap” puzzle from the first level, Monte Carlo–as those special puzzles that kept them up late, pondering a solution.

There is a lot of unfortunate confusion revolving around another game that was released at the same time, also called “Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis,” and which also unfortunately claimed to be an adventure, when in reality it was just a tedious exercise in boredom and repitition wrapped in a poor MIDI soundtrack and ludicrous dialogue.

All confusion aside, time has clearly proved the brilliance of this game. And though we may disagree on a lot here in the Adventure Gamers offices, there’s one thing that’s for certain: Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis: The Action Game is definitely the greatest adventure game of all-time.

(From all of us, our gift to you, our wonderful readers. Hope you enjoyed. Happy April 1st!)