Whips, treasure, and cryptic puzzles—yep, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982) was Atari’s ambitious attempt to capture Indiana Jones fever. Released hot on the heels of the blockbuster movie, this cartridge throws you into a sprawling adventure where you explore markets, deserts, and tombs while hunting down the Ark of the Covenant. And yes, you’ll need two joysticks to play—because Atari said, “let’s make this as complicated as possible.”

You’ll control Indy with one joystick while using the other for your inventory, juggling whips, keys, and treasures as you solve puzzles and dodge scorpions. It’s confusing, it’s clunky, but once you get the hang of it, it feels surprisingly epic for a 2600 game. Think of it as a proto-adventure game—an early experiment in storytelling long before we had cutscenes and voice acting.

Why Raiders of the Lost Ark still belongs in your collection:

1. One of the first movie-licensed video games ever released.
2. Ambitious gameplay that pushed the Atari 2600 beyond simple shooters and sports titles.
3. A must-have for Indiana Jones fans and collectors of oddball Atari history.

If you’re looking to buy retro games on Retro Games eXchange, Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure 80s nostalgia. It’s weird, it’s tough, and it’s proof that even in 1982, Atari was trying to turn blockbuster movies into gaming adventures.