Lost Classics: Big Karnak (Arcade)

Developed by Spanish developer Gaelco (not to be confused with Jaleco), Big Karnak is an arcade game reminiscent of early Capcom hack and slashers such as Trojan and Ghouls & Ghosts, but it takes place in an Egyptian setting. You play as an Egyptian warrior whose lady love has been kidnapped by the god Osiris. You (and a friend if playing co-op) set out to rescue her throughout 4 stages. In each level, you gain a new weapon. This game didn’t have much to separate it from other platformers of the day, but the action took place on 2 planes of movement which you can switch between at certain times to avoid certain hazards. There are bosses which require some strategy to defeat. There isn’t a whole lot to this game, and although it pales in comparison to later games of its type, Big Karnak is a solid early 90s coin-op title. It could have taken off even further if the game received an SNES or Genesis home port with extra features, characters, or extra stages. The host company is still around, but I doubt you’ll be seeing this title pop up again anywhere soon , so if you happen across this cabinet, pop in a few quarters. It’ll be well worth it.