Montezuma's Revenge (video game)
Encyclopedia
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 game
s: an action game
combining treasure hunting, multiple rooms, and puzzle solving.
friend Mark Sunshine suggested Jaeger make a game with a Meso-American theme and call it Montezuma's Revenge.
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.
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.
Movement is achieved by jumping, running, sliding down pole
s, 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:
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.
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.
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
, Apple II
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
, ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
, Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
(as Panama Joe). It was created by Robert Jaeger
Robert Jaeger
Robert Paul Jaeger is a computer game and financial software developer. He is best known for creating the classic video game Montezuma's Revenge.- History :1989–1996 Project leader for ILX Systems...
and published in 1984 by Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
. The game's title references a colloquial American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
expression for diarrhea contracted while visiting Mexico. Montezuma's Revenge was one of the first platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
s: an action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
combining treasure hunting, multiple rooms, and puzzle solving.
History
Montezuma's Revenge was conceived in 1983, when Robert Jaeger'sRobert Jaeger
Robert Paul Jaeger is a computer game and financial software developer. He is best known for creating the classic video game Montezuma's Revenge.- History :1989–1996 Project leader for ILX Systems...
friend Mark Sunshine suggested Jaeger make a game with a Meso-American theme and call it Montezuma's Revenge.
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.
Gameplay
The player controls a character called Panama Joe (a.k.a. Pedro), moving him from room to room in the labyrinthineLabyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
underground of the 16th century Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
temple of emperor Montezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
, 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.
Movement is achieved by jumping, running, sliding down pole
Firemen's pole
A fireman's pole is a wooden pole or a metal tube or pipe installed between floors in fire stations, allowing firefighters responding to an alarm to quickly descend to the ground floor faster than by using a standard staircase.The device was invented in the 1870s by David Kenyon, a resident of...
s, 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 familyAtari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
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.
Sequels
In 1998 a 3D game3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
for modern game systems has been developed by Utopia Technologies called Montezuma's Return
Montezuma's Return
Montezuma's Return is a 1998 action/adventure video game and the sequel to the original Parker Brothers game Montezuma's Revenge. The game as originally released was a platform game, such as Jumpman, Lode Runner and Mario...
. A 2D version of that game for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
was developed by a third party.
External links
- 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