Adventure II XE - Atari 400/800/XL/XE

Back in 2007 I purchased Adventure 2 on the Atari 5200. I have always been a fan of adventure since I was a child. In the early 2000s, emulation was pretty easy for just about any console out there.

I used to be happy with this concept until I found out there was a homebrew of Adventure 2. I never owned an Atari 5200 when I was a kid. I guess it was the console that I wish I had. I went from the 2600 to the 7800 instead of the NES. I loved the 7800 for making old 2600 games look better. However, I wanted an Atari 7800 version of my favorite 2600 game adventure.

I remember getting Pitfall 2 for the 2600 in "Toys R Us" but wishing I had the 5200 version from the slightly better 5200 screenshots. Fast forward to 2007 I purchased the 5200 version and even purchased an Atari 5200 for the first time. It was everything I wanted for a remake. Better graphics but still remained the same premise.

The artwork of the 5200 box blew my mind, and the fact that you are still a square made it better. There was one thing missing in the 5200 version though. It's the whole randomness of the 2600 version.

Ron Loyd fixed this in the updated Atari XE 64k version. He added the one element that was missing in the 5200 version. Since 2013 when I started following forums suggesting the possibility that it would be ported to the Atari 800 line of computer. I read that it was going to be a direct port of the 5200 version at first.

However, I also read that it was going to be updated from 32k to 64k. This extra 32k of ram allowed for new features that the 5200 version simply did not have. Once I heard, I immediately purchased an Atari 1200 XL from Steve at classics. I followed the forums every year waiting for updates. The updates came here and there, and finally in 2021 I was able to finally purchase it.

The differences from the 5200 version and the Atari 800/ XE version is the newer sounds and randomness. Just like the original 2600 version we have items placed randomly. This makes the game different every time you play it. Items like the sword and yellow key, may not be in the in the seashore kingdom. Which means you will actually, have to adventure through the different kingdoms while trying not to be eaten by dragons. This makes your game plan change on every game session.

Randomness is what makes this version better than the 5200 version. It allows for you to adventure out and try to complete the game without knowing where everything might be.

Also, new sounds were added, the square now shows signs of getting bit, the dragons will no longer chase you forever after they bite you... and more Easter eggs. A combination of items can freeze the minotaur, there is a "Friday the 13th" Jason breathing theme, random item placement, and also a dark mode. When dark mode is enabled and the dragon is on screen, all of the screen goes black. This makes it hard to navigate through the terrain since you cannot see what is blocking you. This is for you crazies out there who want it ever harder.
I have beaten the Atari 5200 version on level 22 many times since I remember the mazes so well. The randomness and dark modes make it harder for those like me who know the kingdom / mazes so well.

In all this updated version was worth the wait. This game made me purchase both a 5200 and an Atari 1200 XL. It's also the game that made me appreciate original hardware. I hope Ron makes this updated version for the 5200. I would purchase it again! This is a game that compliments the original and actually feels like a sequel without just updating graphics. It actually keeps the spirit of the original 2600 classic. Do yourself a favor and purchase this game if you love the original.

Absolutely top notch. If you loved the original, you will love this. I was immediately blown away by the quality and I can't even imagine how many hours of work went into every amazing detail of this game. One of the best home-brews I've ever played. Thank you!

I'm in love with this game. I haven't even scratched the surface, but on boot up the world is so well done. It's exactly what I was hoping it would be, a continuation of the original Adventure game, with wonderful graphics and a bigger world. The re-playability is through the roof for me on this one. Now, i just wonder if there is an easter egg hidden somewhere.

Where to start. I love this game, let me get that out of the way. I played the hell out of this on my old 5200, and this one is by far the superior version. For those that haven't played it, it's basically a direct sequel to the 2600 game, but with Zelda graphics, a much bigger map (absolutely huge on the very large map modes), and dozens of variations of varying difficulty. If you at all like the old 2600 titles and hacks, you'll love this. The 5200 one did have some bugs, suffered from a lack of randomness, and a few other things. The 8-bit port fixes all of that. There are 22 different game modes, multiple characters to chose from (the square, a couple of knights, a crab, the bat etc), multiple difficulties ranging from beginner to advanced, and a much welcome 'super random' setting you can enable that will ensure you end up having to use your noggin to win, including taking advantage of the troll (this games version of the bat, only with some extra behavior logic that can make him occasionally useful), and other tricks to win. There are three 'bat eggs' (like the hidden easter egg dot in the old adventure) that can give you extra powers, along with a couple of other power ups you can get by completing in game things. There are three dragons, a minotaur and a troll, and on the right mode, the dragons can resurrect into a much tougher variant. There are more castles, more mazes (and some of these can change in game by getting caught by the Minotaur), more secrets and frankly, more fun than the original. The small map modes are good for a quick pre-dinner game. The largest modes on super random can take you hours to beat. New to this version is the fact that the different characters actually have their own special abilities: the knights are fatter and hard to maneuver around tight obstacles, but take more hits from dragons. The crab can slowly climb over walls, and the bat can fly. The super random mode is fantastic, and greatly increases the long term replay-ability. Basically, this is now one of the 8-bit's 'desert island' games. Can't recommend this enough.