Difference between revisions of "Adventure (1980 video game)"

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==Status==
 
==Status==
I have beaten all three levels, but I have yet to uncover the Easter egg.
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I have beaten all three levels, but I have yet to successfully recover the microdot.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
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===Good===
 
===Good===
* At the time, this was the only adventure game for the console market, so it was quite unique.
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* At the time, this was the only adventure game for the console market, so it was quite the pioneer.
 
* I like how the game world uses a non-Euclidean map system where you don't simply move from room-to-room, but rather warp around. This keeps the map unpredictable.
 
* I like how the game world uses a non-Euclidean map system where you don't simply move from room-to-room, but rather warp around. This keeps the map unpredictable.
 
* The pack bat is a clever and creative nemesis.
 
* The pack bat is a clever and creative nemesis.

Revision as of 22:09, 12 June 2017

North American box art.

Adventure is an adventure game developed by Warren Robinett for the Atari 2600 and released in 1980. Robinett wanted to create a game similar to Colossal Cave Adventure found on DEC and PLATO systems, but, since the Atari didn't have the memory to handle enough text, he had to make it a more abstract graphical game, which pioneered the graphical action adventure genre.

This is one of the first video games I ever played (around 1987), and part of not knowing what was possible in the game created a sense of awe, which, when combined with the quirkiness of the box art and game's manual, made it an instant favorite. Now that I know more about how the game functions, I'm less enamored with it.

Status

I have beaten all three levels, but I have yet to successfully recover the microdot.

Review

  • Overall: 4/10
  • Best Version: Atari 2600

Good

  • At the time, this was the only adventure game for the console market, so it was quite the pioneer.
  • I like how the game world uses a non-Euclidean map system where you don't simply move from room-to-room, but rather warp around. This keeps the map unpredictable.
  • The pack bat is a clever and creative nemesis.
  • The use of the bridge and magnet is especially creative.
  • I like the fact that when the dragons eat you, you can be seen inside their bellies.
  • The game's Easter egg is a nice touch.
  • The game's box art is great.

Bad

  • The pack bat, while clever, is really obnoxious to the point of throwing a joystick!
  • The dragons look like ducks. While this is funny, it takes away from the thrill of the game.
  • Level 3, rather than being harder than level 2, is just the same map with the starting position of the items randomized. Kind of a let-down.
  • The magnet and bridge, though creative, are entirely unnecessary to beat the game.

Ugly

  • The game is unfortunately very short. Even without any prior knowledge, you can memorize the entire map, and beat all three difficulty levels in less than an hour. I understand that this is a constraint of the system, but it really hurts the game.

Gallery

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