Great title screens, and fun in different ways. Yes, fun!
Atari 2600 Dark Chambers:
A good game inside a bad game?
Though I always found Dark Chambers for 2600 to be dull and confusing, I believed there was a good game buried inside the bad game. I believed this because the game is well-programmed, which should make a better game, and because of simple nostalgia, which makes everything look better.
See, I recently went on my own quest to discover if Dark Chambers for Atari 2600 is actually a decent game, or maybe even a hidden gem. Would I find treasure? After nearly four hours of playing the game, a commitment that is itself an epic adventure, I have found the treasure I sought: Dark Chambers isn't a good game. It's a great game!
To be honest, I never thought I'd proclaim such hearsay. But a comb through online forums, reviews, and videos shows I'm not the only one to think this way. In fact, a post on Atari Age is largely responsible for my new opinion, because it taught me that Dark Chambers is fun, if you map it. The post goes into elements I won't, such as the unique history, as well as Secret Quest, so if these things interest you, check it out here.
I, of course, turned again to the online world, where I found multiple pages with maps, some more detailed than others. Would maps make Dark Chambers a fun game?
I began my journey.
Nostalgia tale
My journey with Dark Chambers, as a game, began long ago, when I was eleven years old. My family went to a closeout store full of old junk no one wanted, especially those bins upon bins of overflowing, shiny-wrapped games for the Atari 2600, and all with distinctive red boxes the color of wine. The games were only a buck apiece! The year was around 1992, after all, and stores couldn't give Atari games away, not even the closeout store. To this day, I have dreams of finding bins of Atari games. I wonder if the dreams started there.
Anyway, nostalgia continued. My parents informed me I could chose one game. Of course, given the cheap price, I saw no reason not to grab all those red boxes, but my birthday and Christmas had just happened, so I knew to bite my tongue and accept the one game without complaint. Like most kids, I knew how far I could stretch my luck.
So what game would it be? I no longer recall the other titles, unfortunately, but I know I narrowed the choices down to Joust and Dark Chambers. I almost picked Joust, simply because I had heard of it, though I didn't know what it was. Of course, I went with Dark Chambers, because dungeons and monsters are cool, and the compelling artwork on the box suggested it was. I still think the cover is cool.
And finally, more nostalgia. My friend and I played Dark Chambers. We made fun of the way the characters' hats bounced, and the dumb shuffle of the chubby green zombie. (These are actually quality animations on the 2600!) We struggled to find exits, and we prevailed. Since the levels go all the way from A to Z, we stuck it out, thinking that if we managed to beat level Z, we'd beat the game. By the time we got to T, I was ready to quit, but my friend pushed me on; the alphabet, after all, gave us a sense of progression and reason to keep going. But as the letters went on, the game felt like it took forever, and the dumb jokes around the chubby zombie shuffle were no longer funny.
Finally, we beat Dark Chambers.
But instead of an ending, the game started over again from the beginning. I recall joking that we should play through it again. My friend didn't laugh, and I have no memory of ever playing Dark Chambers again.
Now, I have to wonder: How the hell did two kids sit down and play through this complex dungeon maze game, on the first try?
At first, I figured we just wandered and got lucky. Sure, you can do that, but only for the first half of the alphabet. Now, after playing through Dark Chambers three times, I see there was no way we could have wandered aimlessly and beat it. I reconnected with my memory, and now I recall us figuring out the mazes by working together to reach a room or an item. In other words, teamwork. You know, friends having fun, playing a video game. My brain may have invented images of us strategizing and finding the exits, but even if the images are false, it's the truth. There's no other way we could have finished this intricate maze exploration game.
Before I rant about the greatness of Dark Chambers, let's look at a rant about its weakness. The following is a review I wrote recently, at first, after playing the game for fifteen minutes. See how my first (recent) impression matches the popular opinion, and note my conclusion that there must be something more to this game. This thought was the first step that began my quest.
Initial Dark Chambers Review; a "bad game"
This game is so dull, it's actually frustrating. All the sprites in the world packed onto one screen couldn't save this game. Dark Chambers for 2600 is monotonous, slow, and confusing. You walk slowly down one hallway, only to learn you need to walk slowly all the way around the other hallway.
The dungeons are uninteresting, the typical mono-colored squarish rooms of Atari games.
I tried to remember the various rooms, to find my way around. But I found it impossible to map, in my head, that the pink room goes to the gray room, which goes to the big green room that leads to that other big double room and on and on . . . it's like if the labyrinth in Adventure didn't make sense, and was boring at the same time.
That said, I have to wonder if I'm missing something, here. I feel like there is a good game in here. If I could wrap my head around the level design, or perhaps if I memorized them, I may enjoy a little romp in Dark Chambers.
This seems like the kind of game I could play while sick in bed, mindlessly roaming around in a stupid haze. But until then, I unfortunately have little reason to play this game. Which is sad, because I wish this were an awesome action-adventure game, and it's just not and never will be. It's like Adventure without the mystery; or Venture without the action; or any decent Atari game, without the fun.
Updated Dark Chambers review; a "good game"
Wow, I was harsh! What's notable here is how my first impression matches the popular opinion: Dark Chambers is dull and confusing. And if you only give it fifteen minutes, your impression will likely be the same.
Note also I state that if I understood the level designs, or even memorized them, I may enjoy Dark Chambers. Guess what? That's the secret. And you don't have to memorize anything; the maps are online. As for the level design, the dungeons are composed of large rooms, no more than four, that are divided into hallways and alcoves, and wrap around. Simply understanding this goes a long way in enjoying the game.
Maps and gameplay
Maps change the gameplay. Dark Chambers is no longer about aimlessly crawling the dungeons, but instead is about planning a route to reach a specific goal. Since the dungeon rooms are interconnected in complex ways, this turns the route into a puzzle to solve. There's a lot of strategy and decision-making here: do I map a direct route to the exit, or take a detour to pick up the golden chalice? Is it worth the risk to go out of my way for health, or are there too many Spawners in between?
The game
It turns out that Dark Chambers is an awesome action-adventure title for the Atari 2600! You just have to use maps, and it changes your entire approach to the game. I imagine it's more rewarding to chart your own maps, but if you're like me, online resources are fine. Seriously, if someone made a Dark Chambers strategy guide full of glossy photos, I would buy it.
The goal of Dark Chambers is essentially to reach the exit of each dungeon, grabbing treasures along the way. Treasures come as chests, amulets, and two kinds of chalices. Five different enemies, or ghouls, spawn from the aptly-named Spawners, and if you know anything about Dark Chambers, you know these ghouls exist on a scale. Shoot a skeleton, for instance, and it "devolves" into the lesser zombie. We also have wraiths, wizards, and at the very top of the hierarchy, those creepy grim reapers.
While we're on the topic of the game, let's give a nod to the programmer and a hint at the unique history. Dark Chambers was programmed by John Howard Palevich, who was tapped to create the 2600 and 7800 versions. These are based off of his game Dandy, which also inspired Gauntlet. The whole story is fascinating, with a lot of wild details I left out, and I recommend reading it elsewhere. For here, Iet's get back to the gameplay.
I would argue the true goal of Dark Chambers is to map it out, plan routes, and grab all the treasure. This is fun, really, and with practice would make for a good speed run. Otherwise, it's a game of seemingly slow, mindless exploration. But when you know where you're going, it adds purpose, and even grants the enemies import, as both obstacles in your path, and easy ways to earn points, because guess what, you care about the treasures now, so you also care about points. As far as the mapping, I'm guessing Palevich assumed people would understand the concept. Perhaps it was taken for granted. People mapped back then, after all. I recall my brother mapping the grid for Swords and Serpents.
On my first play-through, I played easy mode (you know, the "smiling teddy bear" mode). I chose this because I wanted to reach the end. And I did! This was helpful in learning the general layout of the dungeons, so I think it helped prepare me for hard mode. And I didn't die, and that was my goal, because there are no continues in Dark Chambers.
For maximum fun, I recommend playing on hard mode (you know, the "frowning teddy bear with an eye patch" mode). This was much more exciting than easy mode, and you get to see all the monsters. There are no grim reapers in easy mode, for instance, and these guys are the creepiest in the game. The reapers even blend into the background a bit, especially if you turn down the brightness on the TV, as I did for a while, to better emulate the "dark" chambers. As a result, I was surprised more than once by the reapers, who also just look creepy.
Dark Chambers isn't boring
With maps in hand, one thing I noticed right away was the dungeon variety.
This applies to the design. We have big, spacious rooms, tiny alcoves, columns, crosses, wide hallways, and narrow vertical hallways. Considering what he had to work with, Palevich did an excellent job creating a variety of dungeon designs. Contrary to my first impression, the walls go far beyond the mere "squarish rooms" of other adventure titles, such as Secret Quest or Swordquest. Plus, the rooms also scroll vertically. And did anyone notice the corners of the rooms? The corners are beveled, kind of! Embellished, perhaps? Regardless, for Atari, this is a quality detail that grants an impression of place.
The dungeons also hold a variety of themes. Some are heavy on traps that drain health. If you're upset about walking through a forced trap, know that there are often potions to be found soon after. Level S, for instance, forces some traps on the player, but rewards us with a big potion payoff at the end. Some levels others offer abundant potions, while other dungeons are loaded with treasure. I think it was Level V that was filthy rich with chalices, which offer the highest points, and it was fun to track them all down. It was Level K, I think, that ended with an exciting narrow hallway, so I was battling monsters in close quarters. Another level ended with free, plentiful treasures.
Even the routes vary greatly. In some dungeons, such as Level R, you can opt for a quick exit, or choose to dig up the treasures first. Other dungeons contain long, winding routes; some offer straightforward paths; and many require a strategy, like solving a puzzle. It's rewarding.
The final "Level Z" is intense on hard mode, at least for me. Level Y prepared me for Z. At the end of Y, you must go through some doorway traps, and this time there is no potion nearby. Also, the Level Y exit Spawner was like a boss, in that it must have taken a hundred hits. Fortunately, when you're near an enemy, you can rapid fire.
When I entered Level Z, my health was low, and there was no potion in Z. Since this was the final level, and since I wanted to beat the game on hard mode, the pressure was on. Not only that, but I got hit, knocking my health bar down to one sad little square. Seriously, I was white-knuckled the entire level, especially since the enemies are plentiful and harder to dodge in these later levels. I had a couple close calls. Overall, Level Z was exciting, and very rewarding to finish.
Graphics
The title screen is fantastic, with a detailed castle, fancy font, and a Fuji logo sprite.
The characters look great. The sprites are big and distinct, and each enemy has its own animation, such as a billowing robe, and they face multiple directions. The skeletons really look like they're swinging their bony arms. I find it technically impressive when four enemy sprites are coming after me.
The level cards feature a fancy font, and have a nice fade effect that adds to the vibe.
I already noted the variety of walls and details for the rooms. Another note here are the color choices. The green and purple, for instance, are alluring are bright, while the gray walls invoke the tone of the chambers.
It's very satisfying to blow up the enemies, who explode with a little animation. Sometimes, they explode randomly, which is fun.
Tips and tricks
Use maps! Maps change the game.
Use the diagonal shot to take out ghouls who walk in a zigzag pattern, such as skeletons. It really helps.
According to the manual, if the ghouls are walking away from you, it means they're trying to lure you away from the exit. This could come in handy.
I thought the points maxed out at 99K. Instead, the points reset, so be sure to keep track if you go over--and you will, if you collect all the treasures.
It's often easier to dodge the ghouls than attack, if you're just trying to get through a room.
If you enter a room and are ambushed, duck back into the previous room.
If an enemy is trapped on the bottom edge of the screen (in a lower hallway, for instance), move up until only their head is visible. They will turn their head and face the screen. Creepy!
You can grind Spawners for points.
Turn the TV brightness low for a true Dark Chambers experience. Plus, when it's low, the reapers are hard to see, which makes for some exciting encounters.
Use maps!
Final Dark Chambers for Atari 2600 Review:
Dark Chambers is dull and confusing . . . unless you use maps! Then, the game turns into an awesome action-adventure title. Planning routes and collecting treasure is rewarding, and the gameplay becomes more exciting the farther you progress.
While I now consider Dark Chambers to be a personal favorite, I still cannot recommend it to anyone who isn't using a map. Therefore, the game requires more commitment than most Atari titles, and so, finally, I recommend Dark Chambers to Atari nerds and collectors.
Dark Chambers for Atari 7800
Palevich also programmed Dark Chambers for Atari 7800, and it's interesting to see how he did things differently. I believe the limitations of the 2600 lent the game a more exploratory tone, while the 7800 version upped the action with a whole lot of sprites. The 7800, by the way, can display more sprites without flicker than an NES. Cool!
Rather than a series of interconnected rooms, the dungeons in Dark Chambers 7800 are composed of one big room that scrolls vertically and horizontally.
Dark Chambers 7800 is very accessible. There's little confusion about what to do and where to go, though you may expect plenty of backtracking. Fortunately, the dungeons are small enough to navigate without getting lost for long. It's the kind of game you can just pick up and know how to play, though the Spawner symbols can be confusing. And be careful not to shoot the health power-ups!
The dungeon variety is really well done here. One dungeon is a spiral of sorts, another is composed of small rooms, and another is open and wide. The background tiles are also unique, such as boulders, bricks, and . . . trees? Regardless, the dungeons offer more than palette swaps, and contain enough variety to keep me interested.
I think Dark Chambers is a decent game for Atari 7800. Personally, I prefer the charming 2600 version, but the 7800 title is unique and very playable. I recommend it to anyone who collects for 7800, though if you're not an avid 7800 fan, you can probably skip it.
Happy gaming!
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