Emperor's Tomb information

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Summary

In case you couldn’t tell from the name and the screenshots, Emperor’s Tomb takes place mostly in China, and centres around the tomb of China's First Emperor, Qin Shihuang Di, which although known has never been opened. The game suggests that the Tomb contains a powerful artifact called the Heart of the Dragon, which is where the adventure begins...

The action focuses more on fistfights than puzzles, a la the popular film series of the same name. There are still some fun environment-based brainteasers out there, though, mainly involving large statue heads and old maps. Also, the game is set in 1935, which interestingly enough does mean Nazis, as well as shady Chinese gangsters. It’s a blast!

Characters

Indiana Jones This is Indy before Temple of Doom and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He's still teaching, still searching for fortune and glory, but has a little less mileage.

Mei Ying At first she seems to just be the assistant of the mysterious Marshall Kai, but she certainly knows a lot about the Emperor's Tomb... and is more than she appears.

Marshall Kai He hires Indy to search for the Mirror of Dreams, the artifact that will allow the wielder to navigate the dangers of the Tomb. But he clearly has his own agenda here. Why does he want the Heart of the Dragon?

Von Beck Combining the dastardly Nazi officer and shady rival archaeologist characters in one, Von Beck almost meets his end in the jaws of a giant crocodile but returns to plague Indy again.

Facts

The game is a prequel to Temple of Doom, and contains mention of all your favourite characters! Well, some of them anyway. Lao Che is namechecked, and introduces Wu Han (the "waiter" from the start of the film) who joins Indy on a lot of this adventure along with Mei Ying.

Included in the box is probably the best game manual in the world. The developers got some guy called Gregory Harsh to make the whole thing into an authentic 1930’s journal, with lots of clever touches, like the warranty being disguised as a licence for Indy’s bullwhip. Read more about it here.

Emperor’s Tomb was generally well received from fans, though it is by no means a perfect game; frustrating whipping sections and an end of game section that seemed very un-Indy-like created black marks against its record. In particular in the list of frustrations is the lack of any sort of save system, so the levels are short and if you die, you play the whole thing again.

Doug Lee, who voiced Indy in Atlantis and Infernal Machine, was not used for Emperor’s Tomb – instead David Esch was, who sounded like a younger mix of Lee and Harrison Ford, which is spot on.

If you collect all thirty artefacts hidden in the game then you can unlock a secret stash of concept art. Not the most exciting reward ever, but a nice touch all the same, containing some surprising game facts - such as that Abner Ravenwood was supposed to make an appearance.

LucasArts says

Join daring archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones as he travels to 1935 China to prevent a powerful artifact from falling into evil hands. Indy's latest globe-spanning adventure takes you from the jungles of Ceylon and underwater palaces in Istanbul, to the deadly streets of Hong Kong and beyond. Racing against evil Nazis and the Asian underworld with mysterious, alluring partner Mei Ying, you'll leap, swim, climb and punch your way through exotic locales, fighting hand-to- hand combat from street brawls to martial arts battles. It will take more than just your trusty whip and pistol to avoid deadly traps and navigate through all the dangerous environments. Do you have what it takes to possess the mysterious "Heart of the Dragon?"

Downloads

Trailer one

Trailer two

PC Demo

Walkthrough

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