While U.S. Gold published a different Last Crusade game for various platforms between 1989 and 1994, this Mega Drive incarnation is unique to the console.
The game is frequently criticised for its high difficulty, forcing players to complete stages in strict time limits and limiting the use of Indy's whip.
Set in the late 1930s, the explorer Indiana Jones sets out to rescue his father, a medievalist who vanished while searching for the Holy Grail.
Gameplay
Map
The game is a side-scrolling action platformer that loosely follows the events of the movie. Indiana Jones moves with and and jumps with . He crouches with and crawls with and . He climbs ropes with and . He can punch enemies with and swing his whip with . Indy can use both attacks while crouching or jumping. The whip's power goes down the more it is used, but its power can be replenished by items. He can attach his whip to certain knobs and swing from them. Holding the D-pad in the direction of the swing while jumping achieves a longer jump.
Indy has a life bar that goes down as he takes damage from enemies and hazards. Falling from great heights also costs life. Indy loses a life if the life bar is depleted. Additionally, each level is timed, and the player loses a life by running out of time. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued. The player gains an extra life for every 30,000 points earned.