Developer: Lucasarts (PC Original) Factor 5 (Port) Publisher: Lucasarts

Released: December 15, 2000 Rated: T 5/10

Years ago, I fancied myself a clever little bollocks when I wrote an article for a website discussing the distinct eras of the Tomb Raider franchise and its “what’s old is new again” approach to its 2013 reboot, inspired heavily by the Uncharted franchise. What I never accounted for was the way this had occurred nearly two decades prior, when Lucasarts tried to claw back a little of that treasure-hunting thunder, right in the middle of Lara’s original run. While Dr. Jones’ video game adaptations have always been far fewer in number than those from a galaxy far, far away, Indy video games had produced a solid track record, at least in the ‘90s, with excellent point-and-click outings in Lucasarts’ own SCUMM engine, as well as a strong showing on the SNES with his Greatest Adventures, a side scrolling romp through the original trilogy inspired by the Super Star Wars trio of releases. 

When we arrive at Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine, then, particularly in its original PC release a year earlier, what we find is most definitely a sign of the times. The Tomb Raider franchise had married gunplay, puzzles, and platforming in a groundbreaking polygonal setting, and given it an iconic femme fatale to boot — in many ways a foil for Indy’s classic leading man from the adventure serials of yore. An iconic series of consistent million sellers, Tomb Raider is also one of the most “product of its time” games you can find upon revisiting. All movement is incredibly heavy and deliberate, and the rules in place such as physics and Lara’s ability to interact in context with the environment. And this matters to us and Dr. Jones in his adventure here on the N64 because Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine is as close a copy of the gameplay in Tomb Raider as you’re likely to find anywhere. 

Your tolerance for the entire experience in Infernal Machine, past the Indiana Jones set dressing, is largely the same as your tolerance for classic Tomb Raider. Understanding the “rules” of the physics engine is key, and having the patience to learn them if you’re not previously familiar with those rules is there to test your mettle as a retro gamer. Make sure you’re parallel to the wall you’re climbing or the platform you’re jumping to — there’s no forgiveness for miscalculation, even though other characters bounce freely across dozens of the same jumps. Animations, though fluid, are heavy and slow. There really is no more relevant word than “deliberate.” And while that may sound miserable to some, the appeal is absolutely there as long as you know what to expect. Perhaps the gunplay is a bit weaker, and the puzzles, a bit better, and a few mechanics, such as the raft sections, are more frustrating than they should be, but typically offset by the game at least being pretty forgiving with checkpoints and unlimited saving. Overall, Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine achieves what it sets out to do by copying the success of a franchise that the N64 doesn’t offer. The actual problem with Infernal Machine, then, is actually that it’s almost certainly just a bad port. 

The PC original was well-received upon its fall 1999 release, and most sources on the game reference this version, not only due to coming out later, but the limited availability of the N64 port (it was only available at Blockbuster and via the Lucasarts website). And Factor 5’s inventiveness with the N64 hardware needs little preface — in fact, the use of their MusyX compression software is a huge boon for the port, allowing fully-voiced dialogue throughout a solid Indy story that makes sure to cover all manner of locations. But performance-wise, the experience is extremely sloppy to the point of distraction at its most benign, and completely game-breaking at its worst. On the surface, it’s a good-looking game all around, the Expansion Pak does its work well, though not on the level of a game Factor 5 designed around it, like Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Varied environments, solid texture work, fluid animation (for the era), and plenty of details that capture the Indy feeling make the presentation an overall home run, but admiring the snow effects outside a mountain temple, only to venture inside and have the flakes follow you, flickering in and out of existence is quite distracting. Same goes for the camera, which is easy to control and usually follows without much difficulty, but has a penchant for finding the infinite blackness of the space between spaces.

Honestly, these are forgivable nitpicks of a game that’s clearly ambitious in its own right, but the number of times the Infernal Machine either softlocks due to the engine getting in its own way, or, on at least one occasion for me, completely failing to operate so that I could continue the level, is pretty much inexcusable. Failing to execute the platforming can be a challenge, but it’s often clear that it comes from a lack of patience, as the early levels provide an adequate chance to gain an understanding for the feel and requirements. It’s when you have to stand up and reset the system that makes it seem like it’s not worth it to continue. 

I wish I could recommend this game, because as a big Indiana Jones fan myself, I have to say just how fascinated I always was with Infernal Machine, and just how impressed I was with the presentation and overall approach. Starting even with the cover art, the excellent use of the style that adorns the franchise’s posters makes for one of the best cover arts I’ve seen, and seeing it blown up to full size on the title screen tickled me upon start-up. The voice work is pretty admirable, even if a lot of the lines by the decent Harrison Ford sound alike are more exposition heavy than character-driven. The plot is a serviceable Indy story about racing the Soviets to recreate a device that can open an interdimensional portal, but it’s wisely done with level variety in mind. The game even caps off with a great bit of fan service — a level that brings fans back to the Peruvian temple from the opening of Raiders of The Lost Ark, similar to  Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’s Hoth and Trench Run bonus levels. Unfortunately, I was barely able to play this mission myself due to repeatedly encountering the same bug that prevented me from progressing. A really upsetting outcome for a game I was truly willing to meet halfway, considering I really wasn’t acclimated to the style of the time heading into it. Though I’ve only seen reviews and haven’t tried it myself, I truly believe the original PC release is going to be the better way to play this one, even if the style itself is extremely off putting for the uninitiated. 

Continuing Legacy

It’s a shame that Indy only gets so many chances to have an enjoyable adventure these days. Aside from a pair of LEGO outings, both before and after the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there have only been two major Indiana Jones titles since the release of Infernal Machine. 2003’s Indiana Jones and The Emperor’s Tomb was received fairly well, but The Staff of Kings, released in 2009, is a different story. Originally slated for a AAA release for PS3 and Xbox 360, development stalled and was scrapped, leaving only the Wii, PS2, PSP, and Nintendo DS versions which were received poorly. An upcoming first-person adventure, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, by Wolfenstein developers Machine Games is slated for release in 2024, to be published by Bethesda, which will hopefully do Dr. Jones some long overdue justice.

Additional Information

Saves: Cartridge

Players: 1

Compatible With: Expansion Pak, Rumble Pak

Print Guides: Prima

Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 72.22%, based on 13 reviews

Other Releases: NA Exclusive on N64

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