Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings is a historical fantasy video game published by LucasArts for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. It was released on 9 June 2009, and focuses on Indiana Jones as he searches for his former mentor Charles Kingston, while working to prevent the Nazis from acquiring the "Staff of Kings", said to be the same staff used by Moses to part the Red Sea.[1][2] The game is the third in the series of original 3D Indiana Jones games, preceded by Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. The Wii version also includes a copy of a previous LucasArts game, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, as an unlockable.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Developer(s)Artificial Mind and Movement
Amaze Entertainment (PSP)
Publisher(s)LucasArts
Composer(s)Gordy Haab
Ray Harman
Noel Gabriel (original music only)
Platform(s)Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable
Release
  • NA: June 9, 2009
  • EU: June 12, 2009
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer cooperative

The game was initially developed for the higher-end PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems, before switching to the aforementioned lower-end platforms. As a result, neither console saw an original Indiana Jones video game besides the two Lego Indiana Jones games. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

The plot centers around Indy's search for the Staff of Moses, a journey which takes him to several locations including the Sudan, Panama, San Francisco, and Nepal. The game incorporates a linear structure which includes puzzles to solve, obstacles to clear, and enemies that must either be defeated through hand-to-hand combat, shot down with Indy's sidearm, or defeated using the environment around them. Motion controls allow the player to throw punches, use the bullwhip, and perform a wide variety of actions.[3]

The Wii version of the game includes an exclusive co-op story mode (with Indy and Henry Jones Sr.) and unlockable version of the classic point and click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (also set in 1939). On the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions Big Head mode, Henry Jones Sr., Tuxedo Indy, and Han Solo from Star Wars are unlockable.[4]

Plot

The story begins with Indiana Jones hunting for an ancient ram's head idol in the Sudan in 1939, which a Nazi expedition is also searching for. Indy traverses a canyon and enters the temple of the idol. After a few narrow escapes, including fighting off a swarm of spiders and nearly getting crushed by collapsing statues, Indy finds the idol and is about to escape when the Nazis discover him. Indy is confronted by their leader, Magnus Voller, an archeologist and old rival of Indy's. Indy is forced to give up the idol, but is able to distract Voller and fight his way through the Nazi camp. He gets in a truck and chases after a plane that is taking off down the runway; he manages to jump onto the wing and throw the pilot out. After getting in a dogfight with other Nazi planes, Indy flies off and returns to the United States.

Back in America, Indiana receives a letter from an old friend, antiques collector Archie Tan. He explains that he has information about the disappearance of Indy's former college professor, Charles Kingston. Indy heads to San Francisco to talk to Archie, only to find that he and his granddaughter Suzie have been kidnapped by the local triad. Indy rescues Suzie, and she takes him to her grandfather's office. He also learns of an ancient artifact that Archie was guarding, the Jade Sphere. Indy finds a secret passageway, and then rides a rickety chair lift down into a subterranean chamber filled with old ships. The chairlift gets hit by a thug with a pistol, but Indy manages to survive the ride down. He meets more thugs down below, but dispatches them before finding the Jade Sphere hidden in a pile of cannonballs. A day later, Indy finds Archie being held captive by Magnus Voller and a Nazi agent. Voller orders Indy to hand over the Sphere if he wants to save his friend. Indy appears to throw the Sphere to Voller before he and Archie flee, but it turns out to be nothing but a cheap statue. Indy and Archie are chased by gunmen in cars; Indy uses his pistol to shoot out the tires or engines of the cars (in the Nintendo DS version, this is replaced by a brawl on top of a cable car), and Archie helps him escape in a street trolley. After Archie tells Indy about the events that transpired, he decides to head for Panama, where Kingston found the Sphere years ago.

Upon reaching his destination, Indy gets into a minor argument with an Irish photographer named Maggie O'Mally, who forces him to let her accompany him. However, their campsite and the surrounding forest are attacked by native mercenaries in Magnus' employment. Indy manages to fend off the attackers (He also saves a village of Indians in the Wii and PS2 version), and obtains the key to an ancient pyramid. Indy travels through the ruined pyramid, which is based on the Mayan underworld, which leads to a hidden diary of Kingston's revealing details of the Staff of Kings, the artifact that Moses used to part the Red Sea. After obtaining further clues on the staff's location in Istanbul, Indy locates the elderly Kingston in a Nepalese village. Unfortunately, the Nazis have followed Indiana to the Staff's resting place and kidnap Kingston and Maggie (who is actually an undercover MI6 agent). Indy then sneaks onto the Nazis' zeppelin, the Odin, and rescues Maggie, but is unable to prevent Magnus from fatally shooting Kingston and using the Staff to clear a path through the Red Sea. In response, Indy and Maggie chase Magnus on a motorcycle with a sidecar and defeat him with a rocket launcher. Magnus then attempts to escape, but Indy sucker-punches him into the wall of water. Upon reaching dry land, the staff unleashes a blast that causes the water to sink the Odin. It then turns into a snake, and Indy throws it away, lamenting "Ugh.. It can take care of itself...".

Development

The game was announced in 2005.[5] In a July 2008 interview with DailyGame, a LucasArts representative dismissed rumours of the game's cancellation, stating that it was "very deep into development". The game was initially intended to target the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, leveraging their power to display more advanced graphics while using the same engine as the high-definition versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,[6] but was later switched to lower-end consoles and handhelds. The game's story was inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark and is a collaborative effort of the design and management teams at LucasArts, with one of the writers being Peter Hirschmann.[7][8] It was created a few years before the release and received some input from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.[7][8]

Reception

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic.[9][10][11][12]

Several critics reviewed the Wii version. IGN praised its interface, graphic effects, number of extras, interactive levels, and varied gameplay, but criticized its "stupidly implemented motion controls".[14] The A.V. Club gave it an F. They called the motion controls "inexcusable" and stated the game's best aspect was the inclusion of the point-and-click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.[17] GameSpot criticized its "terribly laid-out checkpoints", "out-of-date" visuals, and "atrocious, annoying motion controls".[13]

References
  1. Miller, Ross (23 January 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings swings onto Wii, DS in Spring 2009". Joystiq.com. Weblogs, Inc. AOL Games. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  2. "Indiana Jones – Staff of Kings". Lucasarts. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  3. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings". Lucasarts. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  4. Fletcher, JC (3 February 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings includes unlockable Fate of Atlantis (update)". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. AOL Games. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  5. "LucasArts: E3 2005 Announcements". lucasarts. Lucasfilm. 15 May 2005. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  6. "LucasArts: Indiana Jones "Very Much" In Development". dailygame.net. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  7. Yin-Poole, Wesley (6 May 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Interview". VideoGamer.com. Pro-G Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  8. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Q&A". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. 3 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  9. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (PS2)". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  10. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (Wii)". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (PSP)". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  12. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (DS)". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  13. "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Review". Gamespot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  14. Casamassina, Matt (12 June 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  15. Bramble, Simon (12 June 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  16. Orry, Tom (16 June 2009). "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  17. Wolinsky, David (22 June 2009). "Indiana Jones And The Staff Of Kings". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
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