Xargon
Encyclopedia
Xargon is a 1993 video game trilogy produced by Epic MegaGames (now Epic Games
) for PCs
running MS-DOS
. It was programmed by Allen Pilgrim. The graphics were created by Joe Hitchens, who also contributed to Epic Pinball
and Jill of the Jungle
. The game is a side-scrolling platform game
very similar to Jill of the Jungle, but with improved graphics. The main character, Malvineous Havershim, must journey through strange landscapes as he seeks to destroy the evil Xargon.
Volume 1 was released as shareware
, but volumes 2 and 3 had to be purchased commercially.
The game was a contemporary of such games as Id Software
's Commander Keen
and Apogee Software
's Duke Nukem II
. Allen Pilgrim declared the registered version freeware
on August 4, 2008.
studying strange ruins in Madagascar
. The ruins were built by an unknown ancient culture known as the 'Blue Builders'. While attempting to translate the glyph
s on the walls of one Blue Builder structure, a strange gas is emitted, and Malvineous loses consciousness.
Malvineous then has a dream
-encounter with a talking eagle
, who gives him cryptic warnings. He awakes in a strange land, the area in which the game takes place.
Initially, Malvineous is armed with a "laser bullet", allowing only one shot on-screen at a time and it can be slightly controlled by pressing up or down, in which the laser bullet will slightly advance upwards or downwards. Other weapons include more laser bolts which allows Malvineous to shoot more often, rapid fire, rocks which can be thrown more strategically, and powerful fireballs which make short work of most enemies.
Xargon is unique in the sense that you can purchase items at any point during the game granted you have the emeralds to spend. Emeralds are randomly placed in most levels. Purchasable items include health units, invincibility, and weapon upgrades.
In most of the levels there are gift boxes, that either explode when you shoot them or contain fruit or other valuable items. Points are earned by collecting fruit, killing monsters, and collecting the four EPIC pool balls. More points are earned if the EPIC pool balls are collected in order.
Malvineous can take 5 hits, and if he dies the player must start the level over again. His health can be restored by collecting a beating heart or collecting 16 fruits which restores one health unit. Spike pits, water, acid and various other dangers kill Malvineous instantly if he touches them.
#204 by Sandy Petersen
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
) for PCs
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
running MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
. It was programmed by Allen Pilgrim. The graphics were created by Joe Hitchens, who also contributed to Epic Pinball
Epic Pinball
Epic Pinball is a 1993 pinball video game developed by James Schmalz and published by Epic MegaGames . The initial release pre-dated Schmalz' Digital Extremes name. The game is played seen from a 2D top-down view within a scrollable window with plain raster graphics in 320x240. The music is created...
and Jill of the Jungle
Jill of the Jungle
Jill of the Jungle is a trilogy of platform computer games released in 1992 by Epic MegaGames. It was intended to rival computer games from other shareware companies such as id Software and Apogee Software, Ltd....
. The game is a side-scrolling platform game
Platform 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...
very similar to Jill of the Jungle, but with improved graphics. The main character, Malvineous Havershim, must journey through strange landscapes as he seeks to destroy the evil Xargon.
Volume 1 was released as shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
, but volumes 2 and 3 had to be purchased commercially.
The game was a contemporary of such games as Id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
's Commander Keen
Commander Keen
Commander Keen is a series of video games developed by id Software in the early 1990s. The series focuses on the adventures of Billy Blaze, an 8-year old boy who travels through space and assumes the identity "Commander Keen". The series was successful at replicating the side-scrolling action of...
and Apogee Software
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
's Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
. Allen Pilgrim declared the registered version freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
on August 4, 2008.
Storyline
Malvineous Havershim is an archaeologistArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
studying strange ruins in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The ruins were built by an unknown ancient culture known as the 'Blue Builders'. While attempting to translate the glyph
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
s on the walls of one Blue Builder structure, a strange gas is emitted, and Malvineous loses consciousness.
Malvineous then has a dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
-encounter with a talking eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
, who gives him cryptic warnings. He awakes in a strange land, the area in which the game takes place.
Gameplay
The basic goal of the game is to advance through the map by completing levels. To finish a level, the player must find and reach the exit, which is found by traversing throughout the level.Initially, Malvineous is armed with a "laser bullet", allowing only one shot on-screen at a time and it can be slightly controlled by pressing up or down, in which the laser bullet will slightly advance upwards or downwards. Other weapons include more laser bolts which allows Malvineous to shoot more often, rapid fire, rocks which can be thrown more strategically, and powerful fireballs which make short work of most enemies.
Xargon is unique in the sense that you can purchase items at any point during the game granted you have the emeralds to spend. Emeralds are randomly placed in most levels. Purchasable items include health units, invincibility, and weapon upgrades.
In most of the levels there are gift boxes, that either explode when you shoot them or contain fruit or other valuable items. Points are earned by collecting fruit, killing monsters, and collecting the four EPIC pool balls. More points are earned if the EPIC pool balls are collected in order.
Malvineous can take 5 hits, and if he dies the player must start the level over again. His health can be restored by collecting a beating heart or collecting 16 fruits which restores one health unit. Spike pits, water, acid and various other dangers kill Malvineous instantly if he touches them.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1994 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#204 by Sandy Petersen
Sandy Petersen
Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen is a game designer.Petersen was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended University of California, Berkeley, majoring in zoology....
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
External links
- Xargon at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Downloads of the registered version and source code