A good solid action-adventure which fans of Indy will love!
The Infernal Machine does a reasonable job of creating the feel of the films but unfortunately falls short of living up to the legendary name made for the series through the success of Raiders, Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade.
The adventure starts out at the beginning of the Cold War between America and Russia. The Infernal machine is an ancient device said to have mystical powers. After the destruction of the Tower of Babel it was divided into four pieces which the Russians are now trying to acquire. Naturally the CIA calls on our hero Indy to enter the race against time to find the machine and it’s ‘fortune and glory’.
GAMEPLAY: 8/10
The Infernal Machine is an action/adventure/puzzle game viewed from a top down isometric view. Indy is equipped with his fists, whip, and trusty revolver and you’ll use these to beat up your foes as you traverse through vast terrain from the jungles of Peru and abandoned mines through to lagoons and Russian camps. Some of the enemies are a bit imbalanced. I find it ironic that a tiny scorpion or snake can hassle Indy as much as a ‘luger-toting’ Russian soldier but nonetheless it remains fun whipping them into submission.
The puzzles are varied and challenging, sometimes even so much so that you will find yourself wandering around an area wondering where you should be headed and ‘if that ‘X’ really does mark the spot’ or not. Clues are often provided but until you stumble upon the solution to the puzzle they only add to your confusion. When you’ve figured out what you have to do with the puzzle they generally consist of pushing a block onto a certain switch or stepping on plates in a certain sequence and other standard puzzles similar to that.
There are other things to do along the adventure as well such as collecting artifacts and finding hidden areas so you can always explore the previous levels if you get stuck.
GRAPHICS: 8/10
For the Game Boy Colour the graphics are fairly impressive as the environments are colourful and are realistically textured. You can clearly make out Indy and his fedora and the different animation for each weapon are impressive as well. The character animation is also smooth, with Indy running through the levels very fluidly.
SOUND: 6/10
This unfortunately is where The Infernal Machine falls down tragically. While there is nothing more stirring than bullocking around as Dr Jones to the sound of the ‘Raiders March’ besides the opening menus and a short cue at the beginning of each level there is almost no soundtrack to speak of. The sound effects for the whip and revolver are good and Indy’s cries of pain when he is attacked are convincing. Along with a heap of others, the sound effects are top notch. The only thing is the lack of any real musical score is accentuated when you are still wandering around aimlessly, wondering where to go and notice the unnatural silence.
VALUE: 7/10
Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine is a good buy for gamers of all experience and age. The gameplay though sometimes considerably confusing, will keep the most hardened of gamers at bay for a while and there is plenty of enjoyment for gamers new to the scene as well. The levels are accessed through a password function so you can always go back and play a level of your choice, which upon completion of the main adventure you will constantly find yourself doing, in search of that one last artifact.
As a lifetime fan of the Indiana Jones movies I buy any game which comes out starring my favourite hero who can “Fly Yes! Land No!” and I thoroughly enjoyed my play through the Infernal Machine. Once you get through the aimless running around not knowing what to do you will find a quality game. A game which has heaps of references to the films, gives that bare knuckles fighting feeling and truly entertains for hours. A must have for Indy fans.