Colorado is a 1990 action-adventure video game developed and published by the French studio Silmarils for the Amiga, Atari ST and IBM PC compatible computers.
The player controls trapper David O'Brian as he searches for a legendary lost gold mine along the Colorado River. The game has been described as the first, and as of 2023, still one of the very few games to depict the "French West" - the territories west of the Mississippi River before these lands became the American Wild West. It is also one of the early examples of the open world game design philosophy.
Contemporary reviews were generally favorable. The reviewers consistently praised Colorado's graphics and Western setting, with many critics also highlighting its exploration and canoeing sequences. Opinion was more divided on the gameplay: while several reviewers appreciated its combination of action and adventure elements, others found it derivative, slow-paced or lacking atmosphere, with criticism frequently directed at its controls, save features, sound and disk loading problems. Contemporary reviewers also frequently compared Colorado to earlier Silmarils action-adventures such as Le Fétiche Maya and Targhan, regarding it as an evolution of the studio's established formula.
Gameplay
Colorado is an action-adventure game in which the player controls the main character from either the keyboard or a joystick while exploring a three-dimensional game world. The game is divided into multiple stages connected by canoe journeys down the Colorado River. Each stage contains a primary objective required to advance the story. During canoe sequences, the player must avoid rocks, fallen trees and hostile canoeists while ensuring they reach the designated landing area, as missing it causes the canoe to be swept over a waterfall. The river connects four major areas, only allows downstream travel, and can permanently carry the player past exits.
The game combines two distinct perspectives: a tilted side-view for exploration and an over-the-shoulder pseudo-3D view while travelling on the river. The tilted perspective allowed limited movement into the depth of the screen and more complex branching paths than typical side-scrolling action games. The player can move not only horizontally but also into and out of the screen, allowing limited movement along a third axis. In addition to walking, the main character can jump, climb, crouch, hide behind scenery, reload his rifle, switch between peaceful and combat stances, and use or examine collected objects. Although the game progresses through a series of interconnected screens, some locations offer multiple routes, allowing for non-linear exploration. However, progression ultimately requires completing objectives in a fixed sequence.
The game world comprises more than one hundred locations, including mountains, forests, canyons, caves and an Indian cemetery. In addition to the main objective of locating the legendary gold mine, the player completes a variety of side objectives, such as rescuing captured miners, saving a Native American child stranded in an eagle's nest and hunting the last remaining wolves.
During the adventure, the player encounters hostile Native Americans, rival gold seekers and wild animals including wolves, bears and eagles. Combat can be carried out using a shotgun, a hatchet or a knife. As the shotgun is less effective than expected because it must be reloaded with gunpowder after every shot and inflicts relatively limited damage, melee weapons are often preferable in combat.
Inventory management is a significant gameplay mechanic. The player may carry a maximum of six items simultaneously, requiring decisions about which equipment to keep or abandon. Although earlier locations can eventually be revisited, this is not immediately apparent to the player. Items collected throughout the game include weapons, medicine, gunpowder, dynamite and trade goods. Objects may be bartered with the merchant Mac Biggle in exchange for useful supplies.
Progress can be saved during the adventure, although reviews differed in describing the game's save system. Contemporary magazines noted that saving was automatic or available at designated locations, while a later retrospective criticized the game for providing only a single save slot.
Plot
The game is set in 1801 in the Rocky Mountains along the Colorado River, coinciding with the brief period during which the region formed part of French Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase. David O'Brian is a poor trapper who receives a treasure map from the dying chief of a Cheyenne tribe, whom he rescues in the opening story. The map supposedly leads to a lost gold mine, prompting David to embark on a journey through forests, mountains and rivers while facing hostile humans and wildlife in search of the treasure.
Following the map, David travels through forests, mountains, rivers and abandoned mines while fighting hostile Native Americans, wild animals and rival treasure hunters. Along the way he rescues captured miners, recovers valuable items, trades supplies with the travelling merchant Mac Biggle and helps friendly Native Americans, including rescuing a child trapped in an eagle's nest. Eventually David reaches the legendary mine of Pocahontas. After clearing a collapsed passage with dynamite, he discovers that the mine is real and filled with gold. Before leaving, he defeats a Pawnee chief, rescues the kidnapped son of the Cheyenne chief and receives a ceremonial medallion granting him safe passage through the tribe's territory. The game concludes with David escaping from the mine with the treasure.
Development and release
Colorado was developed and published by French company Silmarils. It was released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST and IBM PC compatible computers. In early 1991, the game was re-released in the United Kingdom as part of the Action 16 budget range.
Colorado was among Silmarils' earliest 16-bit titles, produced shortly after the company transitioned away from Amstrad CPC development toward Amiga, Atari ST and IBM PC platforms.
Reception
1990 Reviewers for Amiga Action described Colorado as a challenging arcade adventure with an emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving, similar to prior titles by the studio. The magazine praised its strong graphics, detailed backgrounds and atmospheric Wild West setting, particularly highlighting the canoe sequences and varied gameplay. However, the reviewers criticized the awkward controls, frequent need for precise timing and the game's unforgiving difficulty, while noting that the unusual side-view perspective initially took some getting used to. The magazine awarded Colorado an overall score of 72%.
Andy Smith of British Amiga Format praised the graphics, animation and puzzle-solving, but criticized the awkward controls and felt the overall design compared unfavourably with older Spectrum arcade adventures, concluding that the game mainly suited patient players. The reviewer awarded the game a score of 62%.
Carsten Borgmeier of the German magazine praised Colorados Western setting, graphics and environmental detail, describing its scenery as encouraging exploration and its premise as more original than that of a typical arcade adventure. He also commended the variety of gameplay, particularly the blend of action, exploration and puzzle-solving. However, Borgmeier criticized the flip-screen presentation, sparse sound, occasionally awkward controls and several frustrating difficulty spikes, while concluding that the game remained an entertaining adventure despite its flaws. He awarded it a score of 74%.
Klaus Segel of the German magazine Aktueller Software Markt described Colorado as a competent but unremarkable action-adventure, comparing it to earlier titles such as Le Fetiche Maya, Targhan (both by Silmarils) and Barbarian. He praised the game's humor and acknowledged several inventive touches, but criticized its graphics as merely adequate, its weak sound, long loading times and lack of engaging gameplay, concluding that it failed to deliver sustained enjoyment despite its ideas. Segel recommended the game only at a lower price than its retail cost, awarding it ratings of 7/10 for graphics and animation, 6/10 for sound, 6/10 for gameplay, 7/10 for motivation and 5/10 for value (averaging score of 62%).
Paul Glancey of British magazine Computer and Video Games described Colorado as one of the more entertaining 16-bit Western-themed games since Barbarian, praising its colorful graphics, varied gameplay and canoeing sequences, which he considered the game's highlight. However, he found the overall pace rather slow, criticized the stiff character animation, weak sound and repetitive trekking between screens, and concluded that while the game was worth trying for players who appreciated slower-paced adventures, action-oriented players would likely prefer other titles. He awarded Colorado an overall score of 73%.
Mike Pattenden of British magazine CU Amiga considered Colorado a well-executed arcade adventure despite its familiar mechanics. He praised the graphical detail, unusual Western setting, attention to detail, exploration, combat and canoeing sequences, describing the latter as one of the game's highlights. Pattenden criticized the limited sound and noted that the game borrowed heavily from established arcade-adventure conventions, but nevertheless concluded that it was "well worth a look". He awarded the game a score of 77%.
French magazine reviewed Colorado in April 1990, awarding it an overall "Interest" score of 84% on all three platforms. The reviewers praised its graphics (86%) and animation (77%), while the PC version received a noticeably lower sound score (48%) than the Amiga and Atari ST releases (70%). The magazine also rated the game's packaging 8/10 and documentation 7/10. Individual reviewers Jean Delaitre, Frank Ladoire and Stéphane Lavoisard awarded the game scores of 4/5, 4/5 and 5/5 respectively. The reviewers praised Colorado for its graphics, varied gameplay and expansive world, highlighting its more than one hundred explorable locations, numerous optional missions and the combination of adventure and arcade-style canoe sequences. The reviewers also noted the game's freedom of exploration, as some areas could be approached through multiple routes.
("Kaaa") of the French magazine Joystick praised Colorado for its realistic graphics, varied environments and successful combination of adventure and arcade gameplay. The review highlighted the game's Western atmosphere, diverse enemies and canoe sequences, while noting that although the adventure mechanics were relatively straightforward, the action sections demanded careful timing and tactical weapon selection. The reviewer compared the game's atmosphere to the works of Jack London and James Fenimore Cooper, awarding the Atari ST version 79%. Reviewing the PC version in the same magazine two months later, Jeff of Joystick considered the graphics colorful and the landscapes attractive despite somewhat jerky animation. He praised the responsive canoeing sequences but found combat more difficult, criticized the weak sound and felt that the adventure elements could have been presented more clearly. The PC version received a score of 70%.