In September 2022, Harrison Ford confirmed thatIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinywould be his last film in the franchise. He’s played the titular character for five films, starting withRaiders of the Lost Arkin 1981. Created by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg, theIndiana Jonesfranchise saw Ford play an archaeologist searching for mysterious and mythical artifacts.
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Aside from the films, the success of the franchise turned into games. The first, an adaptation ofRaiders of the Lost Ark, was released in 1982 for the Atari 2600. There have also been many additional stories of Indy’s adventures through the games, likeIndiana Jones in the Lost Kingdomfor Mindscape in 1985. But plenty of video games with no connection toIndiana Joneshave been inspired by it, including some well-known IPs.
7Uncharted
Unchartedis often the most cited as being inspired byIndiana Jones. Created by Amy Henning and developed by Naughty Dog,Unchartedfocuseson the adventures of Nathan Drakeas he travels the world in search of long-lost artifacts and mystical treasures.
The games follow Nathan, his close friend and partner Sully, investigative journalist and wife Elena Fisher, and other allies as they hunt down elusive treasures in locales such as El Dorado andthe legendary pirate colony of Libertalia. Inspired heavily byIndiana Jones, Henning has said she looked toRaiders of the Lost Arkparticularly, as well as pulp adventure stories and serials. “I could see, actually, where Lucas and Spielberg got all their inspiration from, because I started seeing all the resonance in theIndiana Jonesmovies,” she toldThe Geek Getaway.
6Tomb Raider
Tomb Raideris the touchstone for allIndiana Jones-esqe games that have followed it. First released in 1996, the gamesfollow British archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croftas she explores tombs (obviously) and other historical destinations worldwide to find artifacts.
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Created by Core Design’s Toby Gard,Tomb Raiderwas a love letter to movies like “Tank Girl, Indiana Jones, andHard Boiled,”as he told BBC News.“These helped me give the idea of Lara.” That, mixed with the gameplay ofUltima Underworld,helped Gard develop “a sort of real-time interactive movie,” which became “the concept ofTomb Raider.”
5Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicootmay not seem like a game inspired by the famous fictional archeologist, but there are definite notes ofIndiana Jonesin this particular third-person platformer. Obviously, there’s the level in the firstCrash Bandicootwhere the marsupial is fleeing from a rolling boulder toward the player. Buta lot of the levels take place in ancient ruins, jungles, and other locations featured heavily inIndiana Jones.
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The fourth game, which takes advantage of time traveling through different periods in history, has a lot of levels that take place in dark tombs and caverns that look like something out of anIndiana Jonesmovie. And one of Crash’s primary purposes in the franchise is to collect gems, crystals, and treasures while trying to defeat an overarching evil.
4Lost Horizon
Lost Horizonhas seriousIndiana Jonesvibes thanks to their shared inspiration of serials and pulp fiction of the 1920s and 1930s.Lost Horizonsees soldiers from the Third Reich search for powerfully magical weapons to help them conquer the world. But their plans are foiled by Fenton Paddock, a former British soldier, and smuggler who crosses paths with the Nazis as he tries to locate this friend in Tibet.
Fenton is helped in his crusade by Kim Wuang, an old friend who also happens to be the niece of one of Fenton’s old friends. The similarities betweenLost HorizonandIndiana JoneshadAdventure Gamersgo so far as to call itRaiders of the Lost Horizon.
3Sly Cooper
BeforeGhost of TsushimaandInfamous, Sucker Punch Productions were best known for itsSly Cooperseries. The game follows Sly, a raccoon who happens to be a master thief. Inspired by film noir and comic books, the third-person platforming game focuses on stealth asSly and his allies use their expert thieving skillsto obtain treasures across the globe and stop evil in their tracks.
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While not obviously inspired byIndiana Jones, theSly Cooperseries takes the player on journeys across the world to far-flung placesas they platform their way across themed levels. This is particularly prevalent in the fourth game,Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, which sees Sly travel to the jungle, feudal Japan, and Ancient Egypt.
2Strange Brigade
LikeLost Horizon,Strange Brigadetakes inspiration from 1930s pulp serials. In this case, it’s about a group of British Secret Service Agents who are faced with battling Seteki, the Witch Queen. An ancient evil trapped in a tomb for 4,000 years, she rises with her army of mummified monsters that include supernatural creatures like Minotaurs and giant scorpions.
Players take on the role of one of the four adventurers as they fight their way through Seteki’s enemies. LikeIndiana Jonesand its other gaming counterparts, players must solve puzzles to discover powers that will help in their fight against Seteki and her army.
1Rick Dangerous
Released in 1989,Rick Dangerousis a platformer developed by Core Design, who would go on to makeTomb Raider. This game was created as a direct spoof ofRaiders of the Lost Ark, even down to the typeface the world has come to recognize from theIndiana Jonesfranchise.
Co-created by Simon Phipps and Terry Lloyd, the original game design they wrote references their hero being put “through numerous Indy Jones style predicaments” as they face “Casablanca/Maltese Falcon-type enemies.” In the game, players take on the persona of Rick Dangerous, a British agent tasked with exploring the Amazon jungle to find the mysterious Goolu tribe. The first level referencesIndiana Jonesright off the bat, with Rick running away from a boulder. However, he eventually finds himself in all sorts of situations, mirroring the adventures ofIndiana Jonesin Egypt in addition to facing off with Nazis.
