Big Karnak

Big Karnak is a side-scrolling action game set in Ancient Egypt. After a flying creature takes the pharaoh’s wife, he sets out to rescue her while battling enemies such as skeletons and snakes.

Gameplay

The game is divided into three stages, each with a distinct focus:

• Stage one: A left-to-right hack-and-slash level featuring melee combat, enemies that usually fall in one hit, and a boss.
• Stage two: A maze-like temple with multiple junctions. The pharaoh must rescue women, locate a magical weapon, and solve two switch puzzles with help from the displayed map and hints.
• Stage three: A mostly linear sequence of boss battles.

After the first stage, the pharaoh gains a staff capable of ranged attacks, helping him face the greater number of bosses and mini-bosses later in the game. Each stage has a time limit, while enemy hits deplete an energy bar; losing all energy costs a life. Power-ups can increase the pharaoh’s power and remaining time.

Release Information

Released in 1990, Big Karnak was developed and published by Gaelco for Arcade and Final Burn Alpha Neo.