“Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine” & and Other REAL Life Adventures – Article

Have you ever explored a fantastic game realm, wishing your experience could carry over into the real world? Have you ever quested through the rolling green hills of Daventry, longing for the opportunity to don your own feather cap and rescue damsels in distress?

Often, game designers sneak real world elements into seemingly fictional games. If you explore the breathtaking mountains and valleys of Yosemite, the national park surrounding the original Sierra studios, it is easy to imagine where the development team gathered inspiration for the King’s Quest series.

East Fricana, the setting of “Quest for Glory III: Wages of War”…

bears a striking resemblance to East Africa…

and Egypt, including cultural elements and lore from each region. In fact, while visiting the Cole’s home in 2005 I found some evidence in their bookshelf supporting this theory:

“Quest for Glory III” additionally taught the player important words and phrases in a genuine language—Kiswahili. The conversational abilities we learned from the game allowed Himalaya Studios’ company cofounder and I to escape some life endangering situations on our own adventures in Africa!

Now, Himalaya Studios is gearing up to release the humorous, action packed, Old West adventure, “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine”:

a classic style adventure game based entirely in fiction…

Or is it?

In a similar fashion to some of our favorite Sierra classics, “Al Emmo” mixes bona fide lands and lore with illusory elements. When you finish the game you have the choice to let your adventuring end, or continue your quest by exploring the legend of Lost Gold beyond your computer screen.

The real life legend involves a German prospector by the name Jacob Waltz, who had claims to a mine filled with riches in the mysterious Superstition mountain range. It is believed that previously, the Peralta family of Mexico abandoned the mine after being massacred by the savage Apache Indians. Waltz began mining the rich area, returning to town regularly with massive quantities of gold.

It is a fact that Jacob “the Dutchman” Waltz existed…

It is also known that he had access to massive amounts of gold. Whether he truly had a mine is not certain. However, while on his deathbed he left clues as to where one could find his possible fortune.

Waltz himself exclaimed, “No miner will find my mine. To find my mine, you must pass a cow barn. From my mine you can see the military trail, but from the military trail, you cannot see my mine. The rays of the setting sun shine into the entrance of my mine. There is a trick in the trail to my mine. My mine is located in a north-trending canyon. There is a rock face on the trail to my mine.”

The mine is located within a region stretching over 200 square miles of arid and treacherous desert and canyons—it is like finding a needle in a haystack—a needle that may not even exist. But if it does exist, it is there, waiting to be discovered and ready for the taking. Many people have followed the clues and died in the process.

Not long ago, my day started as typical for a game developer—answering work related emails. One was unique though. I was intrigued to set eyes on a request from an old friend asking me to join him and a small group on an adventure to the Superstition wilderness. We would be traversing the legendary Lost Dutchman’s Trail. I enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to visit the real life home of “Al Emmo,” and hoped to find some long lost gold in the process.

Upon arriving at the trailhead and assessing the endless miles of rugged terrain, it became apparent we would not be leaving with armfuls of gold ore; although, it was certain that we had found something just as rare and precious. For a blink in time, the usual harsh wasteland had transformed into a serene desert panorama blanketed with white, fluffy sheets of ankle deep snow!

Many people have marked the similarities between “The Valley of the Sun” and hell. Even Arizona State University proudly displays a devil as its mascot. But standing before this awe-inspiring site, it appeared that ‘hell’ truly had frozen over!

As we visited the real life land of “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine” under these unique conditions, we spied some amazing and unusual sites. The typically dry canyon walls were dotted with colossal, cascading waterfalls created by the rapidly melting snow. A more daring member of our team decided to take a 35-degree Fahrenheit shower under the natural, raging faucet.

Little snowmen stood triumphantly on volcanic rocks lining the trail.

Desert brush had collapsed under the dense weight of the snow, creating hazardous obstacles to climb over.

The enormous Saguaro cacti even offered an opportunity to create a new winter Olympic sport—pin the snowball on the cactus.

After slipping and sliding for nearly five hours and fearing the worst for our frostbitten toes, we returned to the trailhead. Looking back one last time over the endless expanses of winter wonderland, we were surprised to see that the snow had disappeared. Had it all been a dream?

It appears the snow did not stand much of a lasting chance against the formidable desert climate and, because of this, our adventure was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Luckily for those who want to look for the lost Dutchman’s gold, their adventure can begin in the comfort of their own home by playing “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine” this Spring, and if you enjoy the game, the adventure doesn’t have to stop there!

For more information on “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine”, please visit www.himalayastudios.com