A strange little side quest
A little context makes Journey in the Mine more fun to place on the gaming map. By 1987, fantasy role-playing had become a major computer-game direction, with Zelda, licensed Dungeons & Dragons games and other story-led adventures expanding the form. A second detail makes the picture even better: Nintendo's Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 and introduced the character first known as Jumpman, who later became Mario. That is the kind of background detail that makes another attempt at Journey in the Mine feel a bit more connected to the history of play.
