Preliminary: Oh goodness... here we go again with a game I commit to longer than I expected, there's kinda sorta an actual ending to this arcade game (well, it's a repeating bonus stage to collect extra points, if you so like, but that in many ways could simply qualify as the end... I guess haha). I was hoping it was just the 3 unique levels then I move on despite those 3 levels re-cycling, but if it's manageable enough (and worth pushing through), maybe I will go till the final confrontation level and then bonus stage that repeats!
(arcade version here)
Look: 8/10
I wasn't sure going into this, especially since I don't really care for the Indiana Jones character/films (I'm all for Harrison Ford, but the creepy professor doing these adventurous things was not it for me), but I can't deny the Look and sprites seem ahead of their time. Plus, I'm a sucker for games based on movies (even ones I don't care for lol). It reminded me of graphics from the upcoming run n gun and brawler trend.
Sound: 7/10
Wow, such great sounds in the Easy-Medium-Hard level select screen. And that was a clever way to allow us to get to know the controls in a safe "practice" area .before jumping into a level. The digitized speech is a nice touch, too. Some of the sounds were a bit goofy but nothing glaringly annoying at least. Really tacky accents and digitized speech for the enemies tho. No wonder I didn't care for these movies. I did like Indiana Jones voice tho, like the "Yes" "No" moments and death yelp (when land in lava during the Sankara segments, I believe is the sound I'm thinking of) :-p
Play: 8/10
Finally, another 1985 game that lives up to the basic expectations for controls for this era (the other being Shao-Lin's Road): you can hit multiple directions, the movements are up to snuff for the year, and the controls are responsive. Yay! (being an arcade game always helps with all that but still.... I was quite shocked by how most games, no matter the platform, did not progress from 84 to 85... quite apparent in my number of Favorite Favorites from 84 compared to 85, as I'm almost done with the year..). I know the video game industry is revitalized at the end of 85, at least in the West, so I know there's a lot to look forward to as I wrap up one of the weaker eras and enter into one of my most beloved--the NES era!
Anyway, I love that you could choose to leave Captives behind and just move on in the levels :-p But of course I couldn'tttt, I was heading toward a 100% playthrough of sorts despite telling myself to just get through it. The controls were just so deliciously responsive--I love when games are like that so you can do those last minute dodges or smacks. Not a huge fan of the 8 directions when dealing with the narrow pathways that also go in 8 directions :-p (I love it being 8-directional for every other aspect :-p ).
Feel: 8/10
I love that the enemies truly have their own AI, even if not the wisest. Watching them fall on their butts over and over :-p But again, I just love games I have quick responsive controls to duck n dodge n smack n run and fly through. I was surprised how fast I completed the first cycle! The "100%" playthrough was seeming very possible, indeed! (even if I'll never be a true arcade gamer who has an inherent drive for highest Score heh). The deaths were reasonable and made sense, like falling from a truly great height (which I usually don't love in games, but they do it reasonably in this). It gives you hints as you get used to the game (Whip the Flame Hearts, or Graba the Sankara, for instance). (And the aforementioned feature where you can get used to the controls before first selecting your difficulty level). All the difficulty progression qualities I love to see in a game! Don't just throw me to the wolves! And even if a fall-from-death mechanic, the shorter falls were totally useful in navigating the levels and avoiding enemies. Oh and some of Indiana Jones's speech things were cute, like certain death yelps.
I had gotten quite frustrated on the last Child of Wave 2, so to speak (2nd time saving the Children). Turns out they sometimes can be at the edges of levels and/or right before the end/mine cart exit. As I pushed on and on, I kept being impressed by the action-platformer segments... the brilliant use of the fall mechanic--it's critical imo. You can fall to platforms more efficiently than climb to them, sometimes... and falling on enemies (when it's a safe height for you) stuns them like a Whip does. Lots of fun exploiting that, especially as I got more and more used to the level navigation/looping... I don't think the action-platformer segments would've gotten repetitive feeling any time soon! (tho sheesh what an onsalught it becomes on the final Wave! albeit manageable even on this grand finale, which I like)
Attachment: 8/10
Not a huge fan of the minecart segments , especially on my 5th time doing them heh. At least you can use the joystick to go crazy fast and just mash the Whip button and pray for the best :-p Still, the re-cycling aspect of this alleged "100%" is making the 100% aspect seem less and less desirable to go for :-p Still, the gameplay, especially during the 8-directional action-platformer segments (everything other than the minecart segments, basically :-p) got me to keep pushing through the repetitiveness. Supposedly the 4th re-cycle should be the moment of truth! Let us see...
Before the action-platformer segments became even remotely repetitive (albeit insanely cluttered and hard on the very final version, so maybe they knew exactly where to stop themselves in terms of re-cycling-with-increased-difficulty), and around the time the minecart segments became frustratingly repetitive, it thankfully shifted to a new unique level and unique jingle--this must be the final sequence! The Mola Ram guy may be able to be killed after all?! 
Sheesh Mola Ram really is hard. Giving me Bowser feels (well, this was from before Bowser wasn't it... but still), with the Fireballs (well, Flame Hearts heh) coming at you from a distance as you walk a narrow path... the frequency of those Flame Hearts gets real intense.. coupled with the enemies coming from the left... uff! Definitely took a few tries.. Thank goodness for the super responsive controls, and the fact you destroy a Flame Heart or enemy instead of taking damage as long as you even pressed the button let alone the attack animation started. Of course, they were aware of this and balanced the onslaught accordingly heh. Phew! 
Yay! I reached the ending so to speak. And I felt inclined still to try out the bonus stage... once heh. Omg what the heck! Why is it a repeating bonus stage when it introduced several new features like the slides and the Voodoo Doll guy?! And ah, it's based around the action-platformer gameplay that I didn't feel had gotten repetitive. Cute feature where it says whether Statue is up or down from you, tho it was the chutes and ladders type feature that eventually got me to stop going for more statues (couldn't go up chutes, etc.). I kept playing for, I think, 6 Statues... Finally stopped at 205,790 Score with 4 Lives left. Great game, despite my issues with it! I feel like there is a lot more for me to get to know and explore, quirks in the controls for the minecart and other segments to make them more doable and enjoyable... a game I could return to or show others as exemplary of 1985 arcade games.
Completion: Through all unique levels to repeating Statue level. Score 205,790
Playtime: ~1 hour
