Expedition Amazon (C64)

[SoulBlazer]

So, in the hopes of maybe turning other people onto a obscure (and I think quite fun) C64 game, let me present: Expedition Amazon, copyright 1984 from a small company called Penquin Software.

 

I obtained this game when it was the 'featured game' of the month from Lodestar, a great magazine on disc that I had for many years and a wonderfull way to get software and games for my C128 (from 1985 until 1994). I never could get far in the game as a kid. There was only partial instructions provided with the game (rewritten by the Lodestar people) and I never did find full instructions, nor see the game for sale in the store.

 

Recently I found the game again and played it again. With the help of save states in the emulator, I was able to get quite far, but STILL could not beat it. I still can't find any instructions online, nor any hints or walkthrough.

 

I thought I would share the game with others, partly in the hope that others can see this fun game and partly hoping someone can get far enough to beat the damn thing and end 25 years of suffering.

 

Took me quite a while to find the game for download originaly, so to make it easier for you to obtain I have attached the ZIP file here. Just unpack it to get the .D64 file.

 

Here's a review of the game I ripped from the site I finally found it at:

 

 

"Expedition Amazon starts out in Flint, Michigan. You are an explorer going to the Amazon. You start off with a crew of four, and hop on a plane. Once the plane lands, you start exploring the jungle. You have to watch out for hazards all over the place, including traps that will lead you down into underground passageways. If you don't have a torch, you will end up completely lost and will have to wander around blind until you find a way to get back to the surface.

 

You collect artifacts (read: treasure) along the way, and sell these when you get back to Flint.

If one of your four explorers dies, you can always hire a new one back in Flint. Also, as you progress and find more valuable treasures, you are able to purchase additional equipment, including a radio to call your pilot, and a boat to allow you to cross the water without getting eaten by the fish. Additional purchases include flashlights, firearms, and various other exploring accessories. The more money you make, the more equipment you can buy.

 

The Expedition Amazon map was incredibly large, and the temples that speckled the landscape provided for hours of touring. As I explored the various temples, I often found myself falling into unseen dungeons and pits, and having to explore these areas in order to find my way back up to the surface. In doing so, I I often ran into poisonous snakes, bats, and other hazards that would cause damage to me and my crew. It could be tricky at times to explore without getting killed. But, as mentioned earlier, you could always just hire a replacement. The only issue there was that the replacement was not as experienced as the deceased character, and had fewer hitpoints, and was not able to detect obstacles or traps as easily.

 

Having played a great number of video games throughout the years, it is nearly impossible to pick a favorite, but Expedition Amazon is certainly in my top ten. The adventure possibilities are endless, and each trip from Flint to the Amazon provided me with more adventure than the one before, resulting in a huge replay value.

 

This game provided me with hours of entertainment, and would have provided me with even more, had my 5.25" floppy not become corrupt from being used so much. I would recommend this game to any classic gamer looking for something different. The plot and gameplay mechanism set this game apart from all of the other games of this generation, and has set aside this game in my memory over all the others I played back in the early years."

 

If there is intrest I'll be happy to share other obscure games from my childhood from the C64 that I really enjoyed on a weekly basis, maybe we can get some stuff going on here.

 

I see also in the notes this game was made for the Apple II as well, however, I don't know anything about that version nor where to find that one at.

 

Please let me know what you think, and enjoy!

expedition-amazon.zip

[SoulBlazer]

Figured I'd bump this and see if any of the 7 people who downloaded the game tried it and what they think.

[acpacp]

"...25 years of suffering." Well said. Expedition Amazon worked its way under my skin in the eighties. I finished it last night. Since there is nearly nothing online about this relatively obscure game, I am here to offer hints or discuss should you want to go back to the jungle. Peace.

[SoulBlazer]

Holy crap, I forgot I even posted this!

 

Thank you for the response. I believe I still have my save state near (what I think) is the end of the game. The instructions provided by Loadstar with the game were abridged (as I said, I never DID find the instructions) but they mentioned you had to find a way into the 'final temple' from the bottom level of one of the ruins, and that once you were in that 'final temple' the POV changes, and they gave keypreses to use to navigate around.

 

Well, despite mapping the entire game (all 10 sectors of the jungle plus all the underground ruins) I never did locate the entrance to that 'final temple'. I believe I was in the right ruin, with the bottom level (5 or so?) being a poison trap where you couldn't spend long. Nasty place.

 

So if you can help me out by telling me which ruin to go into, and how to find the entrance to the 'final temple' to beat the game, I would be much in your debt.

 

One other thing I always wondered over the years -- the merchant in the town where you buy your supplies from. If you try to haggle with him he just repeats one bad joke after another until you hit a key and then agreeded to buy. Is there ANY way to haggle him?

Edited March 11, 2014 by SoulBlazer

[acpacp]

Directions can be found here: http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=expedition

As far as I know, there is no haggling with Pedro. If I understand where you are in the game, the following will get you to the next stage. It is encoded so that anyone who scans this won't unintentionally read an unwanted hint. I can be more specific if need be. For the record, I played on an Apple II emulator. It's awesome to find somebody else who has played this. Have fun.

KEY: 01 = A, 02 = B, ..., 26 = Z

130116 200805 161509191514 18151513.

0415 141520 1205012205.

15141225 151405 13211920 19211822092205.