Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh is a point-and-click adventure video game released on August 31, 1996 by Interplay Productions on Windows and by MacPlay, a division of Interplay Productions at the time, on Macintosh.[1][2] It is a sequel to Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster.[3] The game was developed by Amazing Media, directed and produced by Jeff McDonald, Keith Metger, and Loring Casartelli, written by McDonald and Metzger, and composed by Márcio Câmara.[4] Malcolm McDowell stars as Stuart Davenport, one of the main characters of the game.[4]

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh
Developer(s)Amazing Media
Publisher(s)Interplay Productions, MacPlay
Director(s)Jeff McDonald
Keith Metzger
Loring Casartelli
Producer(s)Loring Casartelli
Jeff McDonald
Keith Metzger
Designer(s)Keith Metzger
David Parsons
Writer(s)Jeff McDonald
Keith Metzger
Composer(s)Márcio Câmara
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems
ReleaseAug. 31, 1996
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Design
An in-game screenshot with hand-style cursor in view.

Gameplay

In Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh players navigate various static frames via a hand-style cursor, and can also pick up items via cursor.[5] They also have a standard inventory as a bar at the bottom of the screen which consists of items such as a lantern, ID card, backpack, and other items of interest they pick up during gameplay.[5] These controls make it very easy and simple to navigate through menus and across terrain. There is also an aspect of danger, being able to be crushed by machinery or murdered by enemies during multiple choice situations, another feature of the game.[5][6] Puzzles are also solved frequently, and make use of the game's simple controls.[5][6][7][8]

Gameplay also features real-life actors, added in via green-screen.[5]

Plot

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh is set in Egypt, at one of the fictional National Mining Company's mining sites.[4] It is here you are Mr. Michael Cameron, a representative of National Mining Company who has been sent from New York City to deal with a rebellion of workers who believe a curse lies over the mining site due to the hieroglyph-covered box they mined up.[5] Upon arrival you meet Chris Crowley, manager of the site, Stuart Davenport, representative on site, become acquainted with many of the workers at the site, and begin to solve many puzzles.[5] After much searching you find a mummy who comes back to life and begins to terrorize the work site, murdering many and even brainwashing a woman, Lorrie (who also used to be your girlfriend), into thinking she is the mummy's wife, and then abducting her.[7] After more gameplay you find the mummy and he channels himself into a power crystal, and after he dies his ghost appears, says that Lorrie, now unconscious after the mummy's disappearance, will recover from her brainwashing and that a man named Stuart Davenport, played by Malcolm McDowell, is trying to sell the artifacts to the US Government for three-hundred-million dollars. At the end of the game the artifacts are found deep in the mine, of which are next to Chris Crowley, who you learn is a part of the deal with the US Government for the artifacts.[6] After trying to convince him to tell you where Stuart is, he is shot by someone behind you.[6] You turn around, and it's Stuart. He points the gun at you and tells you to hand over the power crystal. You do as he asks, and he then goes behind a rock and tries to use it. However, he dies in the process, and Lorrie emerges from around the rock.[6] She is amazed by all the artifacts, and then a screen is seen that says the end, however following text explains that after you find Lorrie you and she go to the top of the mine and phone the authorities, who are not able to arrive before the tunnels collapse due to an earthquake and the artifacts are lost. The text also explains that Lorrie and you return to New York City and resume dating, as well as that multiple attempts to excavate the artifacts fail due to following earthquakes. It is also learned that Stuart Davenport's body is never recovered, but that a man fitting his description is seen in the Amazon Jungle searching for Inca treasure.[6]

Development

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh was developed by Amazing Media, and was released on August 31, 1996 by Interplay Entertainment on Windows and by MacPlay, a division of Interplay Entertainment at the time, on Macintosh.[1][2] The project was announced at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo on May 16, 1996 as the latest title of Interplay Productions. A month before the game was released, the Interplay web site featured an online contest "to coincide with the launch of this product", which featured hieroglyphic phrases being placed around the site that would then have to be converted to clues to inch closer to the $1000 cash prize.[9] Trish Wright, vice-president of marketing for Interplay, thought that the deep tombs of ancient Egypt offered the perfect setting for an adventure game, and hoped the combined efforts of Amazing Media's creative team and the veteran voice acting cast would result in a great game.[9] Ten winners were announced for the PC version via the Interplay website, while others were announced for the Mac version via the Macplay website.[10]

Reception

Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh received poor reviews. For instance, Chris Hudak of GameSpot stated it was an "okay-looking, reasonably straightfaced, wonkily-balanced game experience not quite challenging enough for the long-time adventurer and not quite guiding enough for the newbie". Hudak added that there was "potential for a deeper backstory and more mythical involvement."[8] Liz Zivney of Adventure Classic Gaming wrote that the same was a "fine example" from the golden age of adventure video games, praising how the puzzles work with the narrative to create a sense of suspense and danger.[12] Conversely, MetzoMagic reviewer Rosemary Young thought the game was average in every sense of the word.[13] Angela Bennett of PC Gamer praised Malcolm McDowell in his villainous role, but noted that the game wouldn't feed adventure game fans who had been experiencing a recent drought in quality examples of the genre.[14] A Next Generation critic also praised McDowell's performance and the quality of the cutscenes in general, but said the gameplay has nothing new to offer beyond that seen in other then-recent horror-themed adventure games.[11]

Balmoral Software thought the game would appeal to Malcolm McDowell fans, but that it didn't have the depth found in other games of the genre such as Buried in Time.[15] Matt Barton of ArmChair Arcade negatively compared the game to The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery.[16] Cathy Ormsby, a student at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas, praised the title's game design, which saw strong story, environment, and gameplay enhanced through the choices in music, sound effects, graphics, and video clips.[17] Tep Repeatedly reviewer Jen thought the game spent too much money on its cast and FMV scenes, and not enough on the actual game.[18] The Computer Show reviewers thought it fell below the standard of Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster.[19] Lynn Alford of PibWeb liked the "excellent " music, and "sometimes amusing" dialogue.[20] Arinn Dembo of Game Center described the game as a Myst clone, and commented that those who don't like horror video games should stay away from the title.[21] Computer Games Magazine reviewer Chuck Klimushyn thought that while the game followed a successful formula, this led to the title being a mediocre product.[22] In 1997, Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh and Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster were sold as a two-pack, found in bargain bins for $5.[23][24] This bundle SKU sold 113,349 units in North America during the year 2001 alone, according to PC Data.[25]

The game is currently preserved at the Strong Museum of Play.[26]

References
  1. "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh (Game) - Giant Bomb". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  2. "Google". www.google.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  3. "Interplay". Next Generation. No. 21. Imagine Media. September 1996. pp. 103–4.
  4. McDowell, Malcolm; Paulino, Joe; Krauss, Bill; Pizzo, Marcia (2000-01-01), Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh, retrieved 2017-03-29
  5. dosgamesblog.com (2014-05-21), Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh (1996) - Gameplay Highlights, retrieved 2017-03-29
  6. MsSepeteus (2015-02-03), Mummy Tomb Of The Pharaoh 1996 part5, retrieved 2017-03-29
  7. MsSepeteus (2015-02-03), Mummy Tomb Of The Pharaoh 1996 part4, retrieved 2017-03-29
  8. Hudak, Chris (September 26, 1996). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  9. "Mummy". 2000-09-03. Archived from the original on 2000-09-03. Retrieved 2017-03-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. "The Winners page". 1996-12-20. Archived from the original on 1996-12-20. Retrieved 2017-03-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. "Mummy, Tomb of the Pharoh". Next Generation. No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. pp. 134–5.
  12. Zivney, Liz (August 1, 2012). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". Adventure Classic Gaming. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  13. Young, Rosemary (January 1997). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". MetzoMagic. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  14. Bennett, Angela (April 1997). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2000-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharoah Review and Walkthrough". Balmoral Software. December 15, 1996. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  16. Barton, Matt (January 15, 2007). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". Armchair Arcade. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  17. Ormsby, Cathy (February 10, 1997). "MUMMY: Tomb of the Pharaoh". Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  18. Jen (1997). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh Review". Tap-Repeatedly. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  19. Giovetti, Al (1997). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". The Computer Show. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  20. Alford, Lynn (October 17, 1996). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". PibWeb. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  21. Dembo, Arinn (February 5, 1997). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh". Game Center. Archived from the original on 1997-02-05. Retrieved 2017-03-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. Klimushyn, Chuck (September 1, 2003). "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh Review". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on 2003-09-01. Retrieved 2017-03-29.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. "Four Fat Chicks -- Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh Review". www.tap-repeatedly.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  24. "Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh / Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster Bundle (PC)". IGN. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  25. Sluganski, Randy (March 2002). "State of Adventure Gaming - March 2002 - 2001 Sales Table". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on June 19, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  26. "109.11197: Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh | video game | PC Games | Video Games | Online Collections | The Strong". www.museumofplay.org. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
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