Guide: Best Indiana Jones Games On Nintendo Platforms

15. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (DS)

It’s clear that of the two versions of this game, it’s the Wii one you should investigate. Staff of Kings on the DS was filled with the familiar touchscreen control and microphone gameplay gimmicks, but failed to deliver anything approaching the sort of excitement you’d hope to find on an adventure with Henry Jones Jr. Pointing and clicking (or tapping) was a joy on the DS, and would have been better served with an adventure game in the vein of Fate of Atlantis rather than crowbarring a full 3D game with frustrating fisticuffs and poor puzzling onto the console.

14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game (NES)

NMS Software developed the Nintendo versions of this version of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Ubisoft on publishing duties, and there’s another, earlier version published by Taito that’s entirely different. A side-scrolling platformer, this one isn’t unimpressive (visually speaking) on Game Boy, but the NES game is essentially a straight port of the handheld version. Launching so late in the console’s lifecycle, anyone who picked this up over the better Taito game would be rightly miffed.

It’s games like this that gave licensed titles a bad name back in the day.

13. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (NES)

Two versions of this Atari-developed released on NES. One was published by TENGEN prior to a licensing disagreement and Tetris-related lawsuit from Nintendo that resulted in the removal of all its NES titles from store shelves. The other — the exact same game on the cart — had Mindscape taking over publishing duties.

Unfortunately, that detail is probably the most interesting aspect of this loose adaptation of the arcade game. You control Indy and wonkily work your way through various levels from a ‘diagonal-down’ perspective, swinging on your whip, recovering Sankara stones, saving children, riding in minecarts, and generally giving Thugees a thrashing the items you find. It’s got the music, of course, and that goes a long way to firing up the Jonesian spirit, but it’s not enough to transform a poor game into a good one.

12. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (GBC)

The Game Boy Color counterpart to Factor 5’s N64 title, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine certainly looks impressive for the hardware and features puzzler gameplay that could generously (very generously) be described as top-down Zelda-esque. It’s let down by clunky controls and being a little too confusing, though. Still, HotGen offered up a fair portable puzzler with some Indy trappings that needn’t be cast into the infernal fires.

11. LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (DS)

Despite being the DS version of the game, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues offers up fun level building and the same solid co-op gameplay to give Indy’s brick-building series a new life. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might take up most of the runtime, but it’s hard to deny the new takes on the classic films and the level builder aren’t fun. We would maybe drop the touch-screen controls and perhaps spread the love a little bit more among the films. If you have the first game, however, this one is probably worth a miss, or you should look at picking up the superior Wii version.

10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (NES)

Mixing in top-down areas and puzzles into its standard side-on platforming, this whip ’em up is far from the greatest game to feature the world’s most reckless archeologist. However, as an 8-bit adaptation of the third movie, Taito’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade covers all the main plot points and features varied gameplay in keeping with its theme, plus a decent chiptune rendition of the soundtrack.

Given the relative lack of competition in Indy’s gaming catalogue, this isn’t a bad time.

9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (GB)

Expectations for Game Boy titles were understandably lower given the tighter hardware restrictions of the console, so while this version of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade won’t knock your socks off like the best titles on the system, the slightly awkward controls and irritating time limit on levels don’t rub you the wrong way like the NES version.

In fact, with the big sprites and decent facsimile of John Williams’ bounding theme, we’ve got a bit of a soft spot for this Game Boy rendition.

8. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (DS)

Jonesy’s first foray in brick form (and on the DS) is a solid version of the console title with more than enough changes to warrant a look into it. You can tap the touch screen to crack Indy’s whip or blow into the microphone to blow out torches, making this a really fun, interactive port, especially for the kids. And the new class system means gameplay requires that little extra thought. The only big drawback is the need for multiple copies to play co-op, meaning LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures will likely be a solo experience for many. We do love a Star Wars cameo, though. But for the changes it makes, and the fact that it manages to make all of the blocks fit on this tiny system, it’s one to look out for.