Rick Dangerous

1989 · Platform · Amiga / Atari ST

Overview

Rick Dangerous (1989) is Core Design's trap-filled platformer parodying Indiana Jones: learn every hidden hazard in the jungle, Egypt and a fortress.

Deep Dive

Rick Dangerous crash-lands in the South American jungle in 1945 and fights his way through a temple of the Goolu tribe, an Egyptian tomb, a castle fortress and a missile base. Nearly every screen hides a trap — spikes, falling blocks, darts — that kills instantly the first time, so progress comes from memorising them, helped by a pistol, dynamite and a stick for poking. Designed by Simon Phipps at Core Design, it was an early step towards the studio's later Tomb Raider.

Developer Story

Rick Dangerous was designed by Simon Phipps at Core Design in 1989. An Indiana Jones parody, Rick Dangerous was known for its instant deaths from hidden traps — players had to memorise every lethal surprise through repeated death and retry. Core Design later made Tomb Raider, and Rick Dangerous was Lara Croft's spiritual predecessor in concept if not in tone.

Did You Know?

Rick Dangerous required players to memorise trap locations through death — almost every hazard was invisible until triggered the first time.
The game was an explicit Indiana Jones parody, combining jungle temples, Egyptian tombs, and Nazi fortresses.
Core Design, Rick Dangerous's creators, went on to create Tomb Raider — Rick Dangerous was the studio's first adventure protagonist.
The humour of the death animations — Rick collapsing into a small pile — softened the relentless trial-and-error gameplay.

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