Infernal Machine information

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Summary

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a platform action adventure game that was released by LucasArts in 1999. The gameplay involves jumping over ledges, climbing up walls, shooting at things and working out environment based puzzles. The game is set after the Second World War, and so you’re up against the Russians instead of the Nazis - a theme which it shares with the upcoming Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The plot revolves around the titular "infernal machine" which was created by the ancient Babylonians and housed in the biblical Tower of Babel. It is supposedly a gateway to a higher netherworld, home of the Babylonian god Marduk. The four parts of the machine have been dispersed to the four corners of the Earth, and you have to find them in, you’ve guessed it, four game acts. Each act has a unique game setting, as well as a unique end boss.

Characters

Indiana Jones Indy’s losing his interest in archaeology at the start of the game; it seems that all the interesting stuff has been dug up, with only a few pots remaining to be uncovered. That is, until he hears about the awesome power hidden in the legendary Tower of Babel...

Sophia Hapgood Indy lost contact with this old flame after The Fate of Atlantis, but encounters her again at the start of The Infernal Machine. This time she's working for the CIA and pops up every now and again to have one of her psychic revelations, or get in trouble.

Dr. Gennadi Volodnikov He's not a real doctor - he's a dirty Communist, or so Indiana Jones would have us believe. He's also responsible for one of the best parts of the game, where you chase him around an underground chamber shooting bullets at his wobbling behind.

Facts

The project leader was Hal Barwood, who also worked on Emper’s Tomb and Fate of Atlantis. The lead artist was Bill Tiller, of Curse of Monkey Island fame, and the concept artist was Peter Chen, who later worked on Psychonauts.

The game was released on two platforms – PC and N64. The controls are rubbish on both, but they are particularly noticeable on the PC version. For graphics comparisons, check out our images section.

Infernal Machine is the first 3D Indy game to be made, and follows the same blue-print as Tomb Raider, where the player hunts for hidden artefacts in tomb-like settings.

There is also a more basic version of the game available for Game Boy Color, which could be said to be Infernal Machine's 'Action Game'. It is currently the only original Indy game to make the transition to handheld.

This was the last Indy game to feature the Indy Quotient (IQ) score, judging how well you did in the level. In this case it is mostly down to how many of the game's hidden treasures you found.

The game gets a somewhat mixed reaction from fans, and it seems that you either love or hate this game. Many people disliked the controls and the high levels of fantasy, but others relished the huge luscious environments and the combination of action and adventure.

Downloads

Teaser trailer

Windows theme pack

PC Demo

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