Back in 2007 I purchased Adventure 2 on the Atari 5200. I have always been a fan of adventure since I was a child. In the early 2000s, emulation was pretty easy for just about any console out there.
I used to be happy with this concept until I found out there was a homebrew of Adventure 2. I never owned an Atari 5200 when I was a kid. I guess it was the console that I wish I had. I went from the 2600 to the 7800 instead of the NES. I loved the 7800 for making old 2600 games look better. However, I wanted an Atari 7800 version of my favorite 2600 game adventure.
I remember getting Pitfall 2 for the 2600 in "Toys R Us" but wishing I had the 5200 version from the slightly better 5200 screenshots. Fast forward to 2007 I purchased the 5200 version and even purchased an Atari 5200 for the first time. It was everything I wanted for a remake. Better graphics but still remained the same premise.
The artwork of the 5200 box blew my mind, and the fact that you are still a square made it better. There was one thing missing in the 5200 version though. It's the whole randomness of the 2600 version.
Ron Loyd fixed this in the updated Atari XE 64k version. He added the one element that was missing in the 5200 version. Since 2013 when I started following forums suggesting the possibility that it would be ported to the Atari 800 line of computer. I read that it was going to be a direct port of the 5200 version at first.
However, I also read that it was going to be updated from 32k to 64k. This extra 32k of ram allowed for new features that the 5200 version simply did not have. Once I heard, I immediately purchased an Atari 1200 XL from Steve at classics. I followed the forums every year waiting for updates. The updates came here and there, and finally in 2021 I was able to finally purchase it.
The differences from the 5200 version and the Atari 800/ XE version is the newer sounds and randomness. Just like the original 2600 version we have items placed randomly. This makes the game different every time you play it. Items like the sword and yellow key, may not be in the in the seashore kingdom. Which means you will actually, have to adventure through the different kingdoms while trying not to be eaten by dragons. This makes your game plan change on every game session.
Randomness is what makes this version better than the 5200 version. It allows for you to adventure out and try to complete the game without knowing where everything might be.
Also, new sounds were added, the square now shows signs of getting bit, the dragons will no longer chase you forever after they bite you... and more Easter eggs. A combination of items can freeze the minotaur, there is a "Friday the 13th" Jason breathing theme, random item placement, and also a dark mode. When dark mode is enabled and the dragon is on screen, all of the screen goes black. This makes it hard to navigate through the terrain since you cannot see what is blocking you. This is for you crazies out there who want it ever harder.
I have beaten the Atari 5200 version on level 22 many times since I remember the mazes so well. The randomness and dark modes make it harder for those like me who know the kingdom / mazes so well.
In all this updated version was worth the wait. This game made me purchase both a 5200 and an Atari 1200 XL. It's also the game that made me appreciate original hardware. I hope Ron makes this updated version for the 5200. I would purchase it again! This is a game that compliments the original and actually feels like a sequel without just updating graphics. It actually keeps the spirit of the original 2600 classic. Do yourself a favor and purchase this game if you love the original.
Adventure II XE
You’ve heard the stories from long ago. Stories of a brave adventurer, who slayed dragons and searched dangerous mazes to return the Golden Chalice from the forces of evil. At night, your dreams are filled with such adventure! You have dreamt of exploring the frosty paths of the Ice Kingdom, outwitting the Green Kingdom’s patrolling Minotaur, and being the first to cross the frightening dead forest to enter into the Dark Kingdom’s fiery castle.
But now, the Chalice has been stolen again. Your sword and keys are missing, scattered about a countryside which is populated by fantastic and dangerous creatures. Use your wits and skills to explore, survive, and return the Golden Chalice to the Seashore Castle!
How to Play
Adventure II is a one-player game. Use the Joystick to move your character around the screens. The goal is to search the mazes to find the Golden Chalice and return it inside the Seashore Kingdom’s Castle. Along the way you’ll need to find Keys to unlock castle gates and use the Sword to defend yourself from dragons. The Magnet and Bridge can help you reach items.
Avoid all creatures if possible! Dragons will bite you and eventually swallow you whole! You can press the R key or the SELECT button to Revive yourself at the nearest checkpoint at any time; whether you are eaten, stuck or just hopelessly lost. But, you can’t bring a carried item with you when you Revive.
When you’ve successfully returned the Chalice (or quit out of a game), you’ll get a Ranking! There are 16 Rankings in total – how many can you find?
Gameplay Video
Game Options
You can select from a variety of options on the Adventure II XE title screen before you embark on your adventure!
- Select Game: Pick from small, medium and vast game variations 1 through 22.
- Randomness: Choose from Normal and Very Random.
- Mode: Pick from Normal or Dark.
- Icon: The game defaults to the heroic Sir Square, but you can pick alternate character icons.
You can find detailed information about these options in the Adventure II XE manual included with the game.
Changes from Atari 5200 Version
The Atari 5200 version of Adventure II was released way back in 2007! Developer Ron Lloyd has made numerous changes and improvements for Adventure II XE. The following list summarizes some of the major changes, but this is not by any means comprehensive:
- Two greatly expanded randomness settings for more varied hiding places of helpful items and the three secret Bat Eggs ("Dots").
- New sounds!
- All-new end-of-game stats and rankings!
- New XEGS joystick-compatible "one-button" control, and joystick-driven Title Screen options.
- Tweaked screens, paths, bridge-building, and creature behavior!
- Play as Sir Square or as alternate icon characters, each with their own special abilities!
- New dark mode gameplay.
Don't be surprised if you find other changes while playing!
Screenshots
Choose Cartridge Style
You can purchase Adventure II XE in one of two cartridge styles: a translucent charcoal color or an opaque light gray color. Both are pictured below. You can choose which style you prefer at the top of the page. There is no price difference between the two styles. If you do not make a selection, you will receive the translucent charcoal cartridge shell by default.
Get an Adventure II XE Box!
If you'd like a boxed copy of Adventure II XE, please select "Box Upgrade: Yes" at the top of the page before adding Adventure II XE to your cart. Our boxes are professionally printed and include a box insert to hold your Adventure II XE cartridge in place. We want you to play our games, so we have not sealed or shrinkwrapped the boxes in any way, allowing you easy access to the game cartridge and manual.
These boxes are the same size as boxes Atari produced for their games "back in the day". They look great sitting on a shelf with your other boxed homebrew games, or alongside games from the classic Atari 2600 library. We only have a limited number of boxes for each game, and there is no guarantee they will become available again once our supplies are exhausted.
Additional Information
Adventure II XE includes game cartridge, full-color 16-page manual, and professionally printed box.
| Number of Players | 1 |
| Controller | Joystick |
| Cartridge Size | 64K |
| Design and Programming | Ron Lloyd |
| Pixel Art and Design | Keith Erickson |
| Box, Manual, Label Art and Design | David Exton |
Absolutely top notch. If you loved the original, you will love this. I was immediately blown away by the quality and I can't even imagine how many hours of work went into every amazing detail of this game. One of the best home-brews I've ever played. Thank you!
I'm in love with this game. I haven't even scratched the surface, but on boot up the world is so well done. It's exactly what I was hoping it would be, a continuation of the original Adventure game, with wonderful graphics and a bigger world. The re-playability is through the roof for me on this one. Now, i just wonder if there is an easter egg hidden somewhere.
Where to start. I love this game, let me get that out of the way. I played the hell out of this on my old 5200, and this one is by far the superior version. For those that haven't played it, it's basically a direct sequel to the 2600 game, but with Zelda graphics, a much bigger map (absolutely huge on the very large map modes), and dozens of variations of varying difficulty. If you at all like the old 2600 titles and hacks, you'll love this. The 5200 one did have some bugs, suffered from a lack of randomness, and a few other things. The 8-bit port fixes all of that. There are 22 different game modes, multiple characters to chose from (the square, a couple of knights, a crab, the bat etc), multiple difficulties ranging from beginner to advanced, and a much welcome 'super random' setting you can enable that will ensure you end up having to use your noggin to win, including taking advantage of the troll (this games version of the bat, only with some extra behavior logic that can make him occasionally useful), and other tricks to win. There are three 'bat eggs' (like the hidden easter egg dot in the old adventure) that can give you extra powers, along with a couple of other power ups you can get by completing in game things. There are three dragons, a minotaur and a troll, and on the right mode, the dragons can resurrect into a much tougher variant. There are more castles, more mazes (and some of these can change in game by getting caught by the Minotaur), more secrets and frankly, more fun than the original. The small map modes are good for a quick pre-dinner game. The largest modes on super random can take you hours to beat. New to this version is the fact that the different characters actually have their own special abilities: the knights are fatter and hard to maneuver around tight obstacles, but take more hits from dragons. The crab can slowly climb over walls, and the bat can fly. The super random mode is fantastic, and greatly increases the long term replay-ability. Basically, this is now one of the 8-bit's 'desert island' games. Can't recommend this enough.
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