Blast From the Past is one of our new regular features at Completexbox, it’s a chance to look at a game from the yesteryear era that’s featured on Xbox at some point, via the original Xbox Console, Xbox 360, or via Xbox Live Arcade. The one thing that is key to this feature, is that game must be available to play via backward compatibility on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Consoles, respectively.
In this walk down memory lane, we will be sharing our views of the game, our memories, lots of screenshots, and of course a link from the Xbox marketplace, so that you can add it to your game collection if you wish.
One thing we do hope, is that you enjoy the nostalgia, and the look back at the game of choice, maybe you can suggest a game for us to look at in the future that fits the bill of this feature.
Today’s Blast from The Past
This week’s chosen game is Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, another classic game, but this time from the Original Xbox era, which is very much fully playable to this day on current consoles.
I grew up watching the Indiana Jones films, even young Indiana on the tv, so to play games based on the legendary character was and is absolutely amazing and offers that perfect nostalgia giddy feeling of joy.
For those that know me, had a conversation with me about games, or have read my articles, you will instantly know that I miss games based on tv and film characters. There just aren’t enough made these days, so I’m in instant heaven when the chance presents itself to play a gem from one of my favourite genres, even if it’s from yesteryear.
The game is available to play via backward compatibility on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles respectively, and you can download it here
What’s it all about?
Indy returns for a heart-stopping new adventure in Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb.
Picture the scene, it’s 1930’s China, and Indiana Jones has been hired to recover one of the most powerful artifacts known to man before it falls into hostile hands.
Join Indy in an epic, globe-spanning race that pits him against the Nazis and the Asian underworld in a harrowing quest for the mysterious “Heart of the Dragon”.
Gameplay
Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is an action-adventure game. It is played from a third-person perspective, and takes place across 10 levels. As Indiana Jones, the player can run, jump, climb, and swim. Numerous enemies appear throughout the game, including Nazi guards. The player has a variety of defensive moves, such as punching and kicking. Various guns can be used throughout the game as well, and the player can also use improvised weapons, such as the legs from broken chairs and tables.
The player is equipped with Jones’ bullwhip, which can be used against enemies. The player can also whip certain overhead objects to swing from one platform to another. Other items include a knife, used for cutting through thick vines. On-screen icons alert the player when to use the whip or knife, and when to perform other actions, such as pulling switches and planting explosives. The player’s health is replenished by drinking from a canteen of water, which can be refilled at certain points in each level.
Story
In 1935, after an archaeological trip to Ceylon to find the Heart of Koru Watu, Dr. Indiana Jones is visited by Marshal Kai Ti Chang an official in the Chinese government, and his assistant Mei Ying. They tell him about the Heart of the Dragon, a black pearl buried with the First Emperor of China, and that evil forces are trying to steal it. Jones takes the case and is given his first assignment: to find the remaining two thirds of the Mirror of Dreams, having unwittingly recovered the first piece concealed within the idol that will help him navigate the Emperor’s Tomb.
Kai points him toward Prague and Indy heads off to a large castle rumoured to be haunted. Once he’s there, Jones sees that the Nazis are also on the trail of the Mirror and have sent many Gestapo agents to find the second piece. As Indy battles them, he solves numerous puzzles and finds some interesting things belonging to the castle’s former owner. He also encounters the Homonculus in the castle’s laboratory. After defeating it, Indy finds the second piece of the Mirror, but he is captured by the Nazis after they ambush him with gas.
Indiana wakes up in a cell in Istanbul, Turkey. The person who nabbed him was Albrecht Von Beck, a Nazi official who Indy had a scuffle with over the idol back in Ceylon. While awaiting certain torture, Jones is freed by Mei Ying, who was following him in secret. Indy makes his way to a ruined mosque where SS troops are excavating the subterranean palace of Belisarius. After contending with the Nazis and their hired Turkish-mercenaries, Jones battles and defeats a kraken and acquires the final piece of the Mirror of Dreams. Mei Ying reappears and reveals that she is an agent for the Chinese government. She explains that Kai is the secret head of the Black Dragon Fortress and had formed an alliance with Von Beck and the Nazis. When Jones recovered the first part of the Mirror in place of Von Beck, Kai double-crossed them to acquire the Heart of the Dragon for himself. Jones and Mei Ying join forces to prevent either group from getting the pearl and the pair head for Hong Kong.
While at the Golden Lotus Opera House, Mei Ying and Indy wait for a smuggler who will take the two to the Black Dragon Fortress. Mei Ying senses something is wrong and goes off. Indy looks to another box seat and sees Marshal Kai and his twin bodyguards, the Feng Twins. Mei Ying is attacked and captured by Triad thugs and Indy fights his way out of the opera house. On the streets of Hong Kong, Indy sees a man pulling a rickshaw. He introduces himself as Wu Han, the smuggler, and orders Indy to get on the rickshaw. As they move, Triad thugs in motorcycles and cars attack them. Indy fends them off with a machine gun and the two arrive at the docks. Indy and Wu Han see Mei Ying and Von Beck board a Nazi submarine and the ship heads off. Indy and Wu Han follow them in a boat to Peng Lai Island in the East China Sea. Indy goes off alone and infiltrates a Nazi submarine base. He then overhears Marshal Kai and Von Beck arguing with each other.
The way to get around the island is by gondola lift. Indy finds out that he needs a protected vehicle to reach them as they are heavily guarded. He can’t find a way to steal one or overcome the Nazis by surprise so after the meeting between Von Beck and Kai, he develops a plan. He manages to acquire a Nazi officer’s uniform and a security pass, and this is enough to get him past the Nazi guard and transport up to the gondola station. When he arrives, he realizes that the Nazis have discovered that an intruder in a Nazi uniform named Indiana Jones is trying to reach the gondola systems.
He manages to hitch a ride on one of the gondolas, but he is attacked by German Messerschmitts, which he fends off with a mounted-machine gun. He is then at the gates of the Black Dragon Fortress 5,000 feet above sea level. He stealthily makes his way through, overpowering some guards and enters a room. Peeking around a corner, Indy sees Kai talking to Mei Ying, bound and gagged in a cage. Kai leaves the room and Indy moves into free Mei Ying but the Feng Twins appear and pull out two sharp-tipped hand fans. Indy fights them and defeats them but his attempt to free Mei Ying is thwarted when a trap door opens beneath his feet.
After falling and sliding through a tunnel, Indy lands in an underground temple in the mountain. There he’s attacked by Triad fighters possessed by evil spirits. Indy finds the Pa Cheng, a mystical weapon designed to destroy the spirits. He enters the temple and sees Kai and some Black Dragon warriors reciting a mystical chant to a chained Mei Ying. Kai puts the pieces of the Mirror together but is cut off by Indy’s arrival. The temple area collapses, and Kai and his men run out of the room, dropping the Mirror. Mei Ying suddenly transforms into a demon and attacks Jones. He destroys the spirit and frees Mei Ying. Grabbing the Mirror, the two run out of the temple and return to Wu Han. He then takes them to Shanghai, China so the pair can take a train to Xian where lies the Emperor’s Tomb.
Indy and Mei Ying enter the tomb and find it crawling with triad members and the malevolent spirits of the Emperor’s victims. There are also unseen booby traps which are illuminated by the Mirror of Dreams. During their journey, Indy is separated from Mei Ying and ends up in the terra-cotta maze. There, Indy hears a familiar voice over a loudspeaker. Suddenly the area quakes and a driller tank appears, driven by Von Beck. As the tank pursues Indy through the maze, he slides down a ramp and whipswings over a large bottomless pit. Indy looks back and sees Von Beck and the tank plunge into the pit.
Moving on, Indy sees a portal, he runs into it and finds himself in a underground cavern. Once again being harassed by spirits, Indy heads for the Black Pagoda, and finally sees the body of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Remarking on the well-preserved corpse, Jones takes the Heart of the Dragon from the Emperor’s mouth and the corpse comes to life. The Emperor laughs and starts invoking a spell. Indy runs out of the Emperor’s crypt and loses the Heart because he cannot control its power. Kai appears, takes the Heart, and brings some terra-cotta statues to life to attack Indy. Mei Ying comes to Indy’s rescue and together they confront Kai.
Kai imprisons Mei Ying and is seen levitating through the air, surrounding himself with a force field. A large dragon appears at Kai’s command and Indy finds himself dodging both Kai and the dragon’s attacks. Indy, with the Pa Cheng, runs to several small pagodas and charges his weapon with energy. He then throws it at Kai, causing him to drop the Heart. Suddenly, Kai is attacked by spirits who believe him to be the Emperor. Indy and the now freed Mei Ying run back into the portal while Kai is destroyed by the dragon.
Back at the opera house in Hong Kong with Wu Han, Mei Ying congratulates Indy and they both move to leave together. Wu Han reminds Indy that they have a job offered by Lao Che, to find the remains of Nurchachi. With Mei Ying as company, Indy tells him Lao Che can wait.
Looking behind the mirror and cheats
After discovering all of the artifacts, the player has access to the art gallery which includes unused concepts.
For the Xbox version of the game, on the main menu when it says “press start”, hold down both triggers during the following: First press the D-pad in the following directions, up, up, down, up. Then press the following buttons, A, X, A, B, the move the D-pad up and down, the press the Y button, and then press start. If you did it correctly, you’ll hear a short jingle. The effects of the cheat are infinite health and infinite ammo. Just repeat this process to disable it. If Indy falls to his death in the game, the game freezes, just press quit and it will go back to the main menu.
At the end of the story, when Wu Han reminds Indiana Jones about the Lao Che job, if you have subtitles on, you can see Nurhachi is misspelled “Nurhatchi”.
Several levels in the game are like that of the Indiana Jones films, for example: the first level is like that of the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The level in Prague is like Brunwald Castle in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Nazi base is like the one in Raiders. Indy even goes to an excavation site in Istanbul, like the one in Raiders. The Chinese Club is like the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The Mp-40 appears in this game despite being set in 1935. The MP-40 design did not appear until 1938 when the MP-40’s predecessor, the MP-38 was created.
Developmental History
In January 2002, LucasArts announced that its next Indiana Jones video game would be developed by The Collective. Emperor’s Tomb uses an enhanced version of the game engine used for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002), also developed by The Collective. The game features more action than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Among the differences, is the use of improvised weapons.
In the films, Indiana Jones is portrayed by Harrison Ford, whose likeness is also used in the game. However, David Esch provides the character’s voice. The game’s dialogue was written by Brad Santos and the game’s instruction manual was designed by Gregory Harsh to resemble a field diary written by Indiana Jones. It includes various references to the franchise. The game’s score was composed by clint Bejakian, utilizing “The Raiders March” by John Williams.
We hope you enjoyed this little nostalgia trip CX readers!