Arabian (1983). Play Free Online

Summary

Arabian stands out as a rare Atari arcade platformer where you control a would‑be Arabian knight on a journey that begins on a ship, passes a jungle‑like island and culminates inside a towering castle. Every level bristles with monsters and swooping birds that must be knocked away or they cost you a life. Urns marked with letters are spread across the screen; touching them in the right order to spell “ARABIAN” hands out a generous bonus, but a sudden genie can spring from an urn and grab any nearby adventurer.

The knight can climb ladders, swing on horizontal ropes, and hop between floating carpets that float like Frogger’s logs, giving a satisfying blend of vertical and horizontal navigation. Atari’s marketing leaned on world‑record holder Eric Ginner, famed for Millipede and Liberator, to hype the release. The game quickly found a foothold in Japan, ranking fifth among new table arcade units in July 1983, and close to 2,000 cabinets had shipped to the United States by midsummer.

Storyline

In Arabian, you step into the shoes of a daring Arabian prince on a mission to save a kidnapped princess. The adventure unfolds across four magical pages that act like chapters of a storybook, each set in a different locale. You must gather bags of gold hidden on a ship, inside a dark cave, on a wall draped with flying carpets, and finally on the castle’s outer grounds where the princess is held. Along the way, pink ghosts and black crows swarm, sometimes merging into a massive foe that blocks your progress.

While navigating seas, exploring caves, and soaring on magic carpets, the prince also collects the letters A‑R‑A‑B‑I‑A‑N to complete the title of his homeland. The whole quest is framed as a Persian‑themed book, with each level representing a page of the tale. Rescue the princess and restore peace by overcoming the supernatural obstacles that stand in your way.

Edited by Maya Carter