''The Dark Crystal'' is a

graphic adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...

based on Jim Henson's 1982 fantasy film, '' The Dark Crystal''. The game was designed by

Roberta Williams Roberta Lynn Williams (; born February 16, 1953) is an American video game designer and writer, who co-founded Sierra On-Line with her husband, game developer Ken Williams. In 1980, her first game, ''Mystery House'', became a modest commerci ...

and published under the SierraVenture line in 1983 as ''Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal''. It is the first ''Hi-Res Adventure'' released under the SierraVenture line, the previous games being released under earlier names and later re-released under SierraVenture. An alternative version of the game for younger players called ''Gelfling Adventure'' was released in 1984.

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'' "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 An electronic game is a game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as pro ...

References

External links

*
HI-RES VOL. 1, NO. 3 / MARCH 1984GamespotAn official free re-creation of the game
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Crystal, The 1983 video games Adventure games Apple II games Atari 8-bit family games ScummVM-supported games Sierra Entertainment games The Dark Crystal Video games based on films Video games set on fictional planets Video games developed in the United States