Montezuma's Revenge (video game)

Montezuma's Revenge
C64 cover art of Montezuma's Revenge
Developer(s)	Utopia Software
Publisher(s)	Parker Brothers
Platform(s)	Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, PC Booter, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum
Release date(s)	INT 1984
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media/distribution	ROM Cartridge, floppy disk

Montezuma's Revenge is a video game for Atari home computers, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Apple II, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Sega Master System, and ZX Spectrum (as Panama Joe). It was created by Robert Jaeger and published in 1984 by Parker Brothers. The game's title references a colloquial American English expression for diarrhea contracted while visiting Mexico. Montezuma's Revenge was one of the first platform games: an action game combining treasure hunting, multiple rooms, and puzzle solving.

History

Montezuma's Revenge was conceived in 1983, when Robert Jaeger's friend Mark Sunshine suggested Jaeger make a game with a Meso-American theme and call it Montezuma's Revenge. ^[1]

Jaeger's Utopia Software exhibited an early version of the game at the Consumer Electronics Show, and representatives of Parker Brothers became interested. The game was scaled down to fit onto cartridges for various game systems.^[1]

Gameplay

The player controls a character called Panama Joe (a.k.a. Pedro), moving him from room to room in the labyrinthine underground of the 16th century Aztec temple of emperor Montezuma II, filled with enemies, obstacles, traps, and dangers. The objective is to score points by gathering jewels along the way. Panama Joe must find keys to open doors, collect and use equipment such as torches, swords, amulets, etc. without losing his life. Obstacles are laser gates, conveyor belts, disappearing floors and fire pits.^[2][3][4]

Movement is achieved by jumping, running, sliding down poles, and climbing chains and ladders. Enemies are skulls, snakes, and spiders. A further complication arises in the bottommost floors of each pyramid, which must be played in total darkness unless a torch is found.

The pyramid is nine floors deep, not counting the topmost entry room that the player drops into at the start of each level, and has 99 rooms to explore. The goal is to reach the Treasure Chamber, whose entrance is in the center room of the lowest level. After jumping in here, the player has a short time to jump from one chain to another and pick up as many jewels as possible. However, jumping onto a fireman's pole will immediately take the player to the next level; when time runs out, the player is automatically thrown onto the pole.

There are nine difficulty levels in all. Though the basic layout of the pyramid remains the same from one level to the next, small changes in details force the player to re-think strategy. These changes include:

• Blocking or opening up certain paths (by adding/removing walls or ladders)
• Adding enemies and obstacles
• Rearrangement of items
• More dark rooms and fewer torches (in level 9, the entire pyramid is dark and there are no torches)
• Enemies that do not disappear after they kill Panama Joe

The Leaked Prototype

The unfinished original 48K game for the Atari 8-bit family was leaked before Jaeger completed it and was widely pirated. This version contains many features omitted from the smaller cartridge versions, including an animated title and character introduction, replacement and bonus life animations, a high-score entry screen, and a bat obstacle. The played character also features a different hat and is named "Pedro" rather than Panama Joe. Furthermore, this version contains an unfinished boss screen featuring a gigantic King Montezuma who can stomp the player character to death. This screen is unfinished, and therefore this version of the game cannot be completed.^[5][6]

Sequels

In 1998 a 3D game for modern game systems has been developed by Utopia Technologies called Montezuma's Return. A 2D version of that game for the Game Boy Color was developed by a third party.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "DP Interviews... ...Robert Jaeger". Digital Press. http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_robert_jaeger.html. 
2. ^ Game Manual, Atari 5200, p.7
3. ^ Game Manual, Atari 5200, p.8
4. ^ Game Manual, Atari 5200, p.9
5. ^ "Atari systems Easter Eggs: MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE". Digital Press. http://www.digitpress.com/eastereggs/a48montezuma.htm. 
6. ^ "Atari Protos: Montezuma's Revenge". Atari Protos.com. http://www.atariprotos.com/8bit/software/monty/monty.htm. 

External links

• Montezuma's Revenge at MobyGames
• Montezuma's Revenge. Classic Gaming Game Museum.
• Montezuma's Revenge. GameSpy Hall of Fame.
• Montezuma's Revenge online. Online remake of Montezuma's Revenge Classic Game
• Panama Joe at World of Spectrum