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Aztec (video game)
Encyclopedia
Aztec is a 1982 computer game, created by Paul Stephenson and published
by Datamost
. It was originally developed for the Apple II and later ported to the Atari 400/800
and the Commodore 64
.
adventure game in which the player enters and explores the recently discovered "Tomb of Quetzalcoatl" in search of a jade idol.
The tomb's many levels are filled with traps, dangerous animals, Aztec guards and other hazards. Equipped with a machete
, a pistol
and sticks of dynamite
, the player must recover the jade
idol
and escape the tomb. The player encounters snakes on occasion as well as a giant octopus if he keeps going to lower levels.
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Before beginning play, the game prompts the player to select a difficulty level from one to eight. Increasing the game's difficulty boosts the number and aggressiveness of the enemies the player will face, but also increases the reward they'll gain from retrieving the idol.
Each level in the tomb is shown from the side, with steps often connecting the levels and piles of bones and debris scattered along the floor. Searching these piles, or occasional boxes or chests, may discover and yield useful items such as a pistol or ammunition, a machete, dynamite, health potions, remains of the Prof. Von Forster, or the idol. Once the idol has been found, the player must make it back up all the way, and escape outside. If the player dies, the game allows them to resume from the last level they were in. It also allows them to resume a game from a previous session. Every new game features a different set of random-created levels.
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Datamost
Datamost
Datamost was a software design company founded by David Gordon and based in Chatsworth, California. Datamost operated in the early 1980s producing games and other software mainly for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari platforms, with some for the IBM PC...
. It was originally developed for the Apple II and later ported to the Atari 400/800
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
and the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
.
Premise
Aztec is a platformPlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
adventure game in which the player enters and explores the recently discovered "Tomb of Quetzalcoatl" in search of a jade idol.
The tomb's many levels are filled with traps, dangerous animals, Aztec guards and other hazards. Equipped with a machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
, a pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
and sticks of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, the player must recover the jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
idol
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
and escape the tomb. The player encounters snakes on occasion as well as a giant octopus if he keeps going to lower levels.
Gameplay
Each level in the tomb is shown from the side, with steps often connecting the levels and piles of bones and debris scattered along the floor. Searching these piles, or occasional boxes or chests, may discover and yield useful items such as a pistol or ammunition, a machete, dynamite, health potions, remains of the Prof. Von Forster, or the idol. Once the idol has been found, the player must make it back up all the way, and escape outside. If the player dies, the game allows them to resume from the last level they were in. It also allows them to resume a game from a previous session. Every new game features a different set of random-created levels.