Swordquest: Earthworld

You probably know about the legendary competition that sponsored this game, where you had four games: Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterworld and Airworld(which was never made), where players had to find numbered clues, find hidden words in a comic book, and then mail them to Atari so they could play in a modified version of the game and win treasure with actual gold and jewels on it(!!). It was a really expensive project, but it never came to full fruition after Fireworld because the crash was already underway.

It was made with Atari's Adventure as a source of inspiration, but Adventure had a logic to it and an engagement, while playing this is far less intuitive. The whole game revolves around getting objects into rooms, with occasional mini-games ala Frogger or Dodge 'Em which aren't too clever. The thing is, the comic was supposed to give you the basis or tips where you're supposed to leave which objects where, but it doesn't do that: The way you place objects in corresponding rooms is completely arbitrary and senseless, which is the only thing that makes this game a major turndown.

People back then had way more time to figure this stuff out though, but today, this is a failed concept. Points for ambition though.