Genre(s) Adventure game Initial release date 1983 Developer Sierra Entertainment | Mode(s) Single-player Series Hi-Res Adventures Designer Roberta Williams | |
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Platforms Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, PC-8800 Series, PC-9800 series, FM-7 Publishers Sierra Entertainment, Star Craft, Inc. Similar Hi-Res Adventures games, Roberta Williams games, Adventure games | ||
The Dark Crystal is a graphic adventure computer game based on Jim Henson's fantasy film, The Dark Crystal. The game was designed by Roberta Williams and published under the SierraVenture line in 1983 as Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal. It was the first Hi-Res Adventure released under the SierraVenture line, the previous titles being released under earlier names and later re-released under SierraVenture.
Contents
Gameplay
The Dark Crystal is set in Thra, a world with three suns. Every thousand years the three suns come together in an event known as "The Great Conjunction". The player controls Jen, a gelfling. Two souls are destined to battle to reveal the secrets of their past. One warrior's fate rests in the hands of a tyrannical villain who is hellbent on destruction.
The game features no music, a single beep is used to alert that no action other than the return key can be taken and a double beep if another command is used at that time.
Development
It took Roberta Williams a little over a month to develop the design for the game, which was then turned over to programmers and artists.
Reception
Softline in 1983 wrote that "In a way, it's better than the movie", stating The Dark Crystal's "thin story that failed to serve the movie well is comparatively top-drawer material in the game" and calling the graphics "delightful". The game would go on to receive a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Computer Adventure" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards.