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Two mysteries of Infernal Machine... revealed at last! 09 May, 2011 / 13 comments

Hold on to your hats boys and girls, because they just might be blown off. As any regular long-term readers of Mojo will know, one of my favourite LucasArts games is Indiana Jones and Infernal Machine. I've spent many happy hours playing that game, and I'd thought I'd uncovered all its secrets. Apparently not!

One of the things that always bugged me was the identity of this little boy wearing an Indy hat in the minecart switching hut. Well, out of the blue today I received an email from Paul LeFevre, who worked at LucasArts from 1992-2000 (the wonder years) and was Lead Programmer on Infernal Machine. This is what he said:

On this page I noticed the "Indy loves the kids" entry -- but you didn't know who the kid was. That's my son, who I snuck into the game, when he was 3 years old (he's now 14!). Just thought I'd fill in one of your blank spots :)


Hooray, mystery solved at long last! But wait, there's more:

Incidentally, my wife is also in the game. She's Filipino, and doing the Palawan level (in the Philippines) was my idea. Inside one of the caves, there's an image on a wall of her as a "Filipina Princess" hidden away, but nobody seems to have found that easter egg (or at least commented on it). Oh, well :)


There's a secret in that game that I didn't know about?! Apparently so. At least one person seems to have found it inadvertantly. In the Palawan Volcano level, behind the huge gong in the lava/statue/Russians room there's a block you can push. Push it to the end and you'll find some treasure... but if you push the bare bit of wall opposite you can find the "Filipino Princess"!

Incidentally, in the N64 version of the game (which was found first) there's a stone carving of an N64 instead. Much less fun.

Impressed? I was!
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13 Comments

  • Avatar
    ThunderPeel2001 on 12 May, 2011, 11:40…
    Great stuff. Well done!
  • Avatar
    clone2727 on 10 May, 2011, 00:29…
    *whips (pun intended) out the old discussion*

    Linky!

    Too bad Zaarin killed off those images during the Mojo X transition though! Speaking of which, did we do anything for the one year anniversary of Mojo X?
  • Avatar
    Ascovel on 09 May, 2011, 23:16…

    Gabez

    I'm a big fan of Infernal Machine and don't remember it getting too much love at Mojo in the past.

    I reviewed it for the site and gave it... er... 4/5? 3/5? I think I said I liked it anyway.


    I wouldn't bet on my memory, but I think overall people complained about the engine being too old and clunky to the point the game didn't seem particularly worth playing. And compared to praises about the other LucasArts arcade games - including all the Legos, as well as Emperor's Tomb - no one seemed to hold The I-Machine in particularly high regard.

    But like I said I might have dreamed that all.
  • Avatar
    Ascovel on 09 May, 2011, 23:04…

    Mighty Thirsty Pirate

    I remember being annoyed that Sophia was still characterized as having some psychic powers, depite it being revealed in the previous game that those powers came from Nur-Ab Sal, not her.


    I bet Nur-Ab Sal taught her a few tricks before he left.

    The part which annoyed me the most also revolved around Sophia. At on point there was a homage to the FOA scene when Indy releases Sophia from a cell in Atlantis. However, instead of some cool puzzle to open the door you simple jump'n'run across chasms in another room to get the key for the cell. Fortunately there were better puzzles and more creative challenges elsewhere in the game.
  • Avatar
    Mighty Thirsty Pirate on 09 May, 2011, 22:25…
    It's neat to hear about that, though I always figured they were some relative of someone that worked on the game. I always liked Infernal Machine. The levels were so fun to run around in. There's no HD graphics but there is just a charm to the level design. Meroe was my favorite. I loved just hanging out in the pyramids, or discovering bones of previous explorers. And so many hours I spent just driving that jeep around! I remember being annoyed that Sophia was still characterized as having some psychic powers, depite it being revealed in the previous game that those powers came from Nur-Ab Sal, not her.
  • Avatar
    Jason on 09 May, 2011, 22:10…
    I wish the N64 version of this game would have found its way to the Wii Virtual Console.
  • Avatar
    Gabez on 09 May, 2011, 21:43…
    I really like Infernal Machine as well. A good test of a game is weather you'd want to play it again and I have played IF repeatedly, and may go back to it in the future. Graphics are blocky, but the colours are textures are lively and varied. Levels are generally very well thought out so that you always have a sense of discovery and can explore, but you don't get lost. The jungle/rope bridges area later on is a good example of that. Strong atmosphere as well, particularly in the snow levels at the start. The controls are the weakest point, especially the speed at which Indiana Jones turns around (though having seen COCKS or whatever that film was called, it's actually quite accurate seeing as Indy is now a doddering 900 year old man).

    Anyway, I'm rambling. Good to read about the identity of the kid. I feel slightly bad about implying that Indiana Jones was a pedophile now (back when I wrote the 'Indy loves the kids bit').

    I'm a big fan of Infernal Machine and don't remember it getting too much love at Mojo in the past.

    I reviewed it for the site and gave it... er... 4/5? 3/5? I think I said I liked it anyway.
  • Avatar
    Ascovel on 09 May, 2011, 20:09…

    The Tingler

    Shmargin

    Really? Infernal Machine is your FAVORITE??



    ONE of my favourites. But yes, I most definitely do. It's more for gameplay than story, admittedly.



    But really really? I'm a big fan of Infernal Machine and don't remember it getting too much love at Mojo in the past.
  • Avatar
    Remi on 09 May, 2011, 19:38…
    There seems to be quite a bit of love it or hate it with "Infernal Machine." I tried it 10 odd years ago and found it jerky and unresponsive and pretty much hated it.

    Found the CD when I cleaned out my basement last weekend, so I might give it a try again to see if my opinions have changed.

    Now Desktop Adventures, that was some addictive shit.
  • Avatar
    Kroms on 09 May, 2011, 19:24…
    As any long-time reader of Mojo will know, anything with "Indiana Jones" gets an A++ on Tingler's scale of "Indiana Jones is epic" to "Indiana Jones is EPIC". The level of actual suckage may, in worst case scenarios, drop an Indiana Jones game's score down to an A- or, if the game is not on PC, B+. So don't be surprised, Schmargin. He loves Indy in a way only hipsters can understand. (I think that pun may have just killed an entire village. It's Mojo's answer to the Lost Ark.)
  • Avatar
    The Tingler on 09 May, 2011, 19:17…

    Shmargin

    Really? Infernal Machine is your FAVORITE??



    ONE of my favourites. But yes, I most definitely do. It's more for gameplay than story, admittedly.
  • Avatar
    clone2727 on 09 May, 2011, 18:59…
    @The Tingler: Your N64 easter egg link is broken.

    Shmargin

    I mean, it was alright, but I thought it was a pretty unimpressive sequal for FOA.

    Psh. The real sequel to Fate of Atlantis was Desktop Adventures.
  • Avatar
    Shmargin on 09 May, 2011, 18:49…
    Really? Infernal Machine is your FAVORITE??

    I mean, it was alright, but I thought it was a pretty unimpressive sequal for FOA. Had some fun parts, liked that the cut scenes were all in game, but even with Indiana Jones being my favorite character ever, I rank this game fairly low on my list.

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