A World of 8-Bit Agony or... The Top 10 Hardest NES Games
The year was 1988 and all I wanted for Christmas was a Nintendo Entertainment System. I must have been a good boy, because I got one! Looking back on the games, I think it's safe to say they were harder. Long gone are the days of limited continues and game overs. As a child I took my frustration out as only I knew how: throw the controller across the room. I don't think todays controller would be able to handle such punishment. So, in honor of the games that with put me in therapy when I'm 50, h
[ENG] This entry in the archive does no have a description yet. If you want to add some info about the beta stuff that you can see in these images, just write a comment! We’ll add your info in the page. Thanks a lot for your contribute! :) [ITA] Questa pagina dell’archivio non ha ancora una descrizione. Se conosci bene questo gioco e riconosci le differenze delle immagini beta rispetto alla versione finale, lasciaci un commento! Inseriremo le tue informazioni nella pagina. Grazie per il tuo aiu
Gate of Shadows HOORAY! This comic signifies several things. First of all, the return of Ian’s artwork, which means no more crappy doodles from me. Second, it’s the start of our new art style, and finally, it’s the first comic with random violence that is inflicted on Ian instead of me for once. We apologize for the hiatus, but now we’re back and ready to attempt to kick some ass once again. Thanks for reading, and if you’re new, stop by every Monday and Friday for new comics, now with 100% les
Replay: What Games Have You Played Through More Than Once?
What makes a game replayable? What could possibly entice you to go back in and give a finished game another complete run from beginning to end? Well I'll tell you exactly why I've replayed a handful of games in my life, if you show me yours in the comments. Here's my list, as complete as I can remember it and excluding games that don't have something resembling a story arc (i.e. puzzle games, sports games, etc): SHADOWGATE (1989, NES) Playthroughs: 10+ Replay Appeal: Memorization, Mystery This
Two 3,5" floppy disks (Mac) 2-megabit cartridge (NES)
Input methods
Mouse/Keyboard (Computer) Control pad (Consoles)
Shadowgate is a 1987 "point-and-click" adventure video game originally for the Mac and is the most popular in the MacVenture series. It was also released in 1989 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, where it garnered mild success. The game is named for its setting, Castle Shadowgate, residence of the evil Warlock Lord. The player, as the "last of a great line of hero-kings" (and identified in later games as Lord Jairen) is charged with the task of saving the world by defeating the Warlock Lord, who is attempting to summon up the demon Behemoth out of Hell.
Gameplay
The player must solve a series of puzzles throughout the castle in order to proceed to the Warlock Lord's chamber. Due to the castle's perilous nature, at least one lit torch must be in the player's possession at all times; if the torch is extinguished, the player soon stumbles, breaking his neck, and he must then continue from a saved game (or the area in which they died, in game console versions). Since there are only a finite number of torches to be found throughout the game, this effectively acts as a time limit to proceedings.
The game is notorious for its many opportunities of death, including being burned by a dragon's breath, attacked by a cyclops, sucked into outer space through a broken mirror, dissolved by acidic slime, mauled by a wolf-woman, eaten by sharks, and suicide. In fact, virtually any action taken by the player which is not the correct solution to a puzzle will result in a fatality. These deaths were often graphically described in the game's text (along with often sardonic and humorous comments), even in the NES version (regardless of Nintendo's policy of censorship at the time). Many of the game's puzzles rely on a system of trial and error, the problem of which is overcome by the ability to save the game state (as in most adventure games). Subtle hints can be found in books and the descriptive game texts. In the NES version, these are replaced by an outright hint feature which gives vague clues about what is noteworthy in any given room in the castle. The further the player progresses, the more useless this feature becomes, however, deteriorating into nothing but encouraging messages by the game's end. The NES version of Shadowgate also carries the distinction of being one of the few NES games to be available in a Swedish language version.
At the end of the game, the Warlock Lord succeeds in opening the gates of Hell and summoning up the Behemoth, but with a holy artifact called the Staff of Ages, the player is able to mortally wound the demon; as it dies, the Behemoth drags the Warlock Lord with him into Hell. The player returns victorious to his kingdom, where he is betrothed to the king's daughter and entitled High Lord of the Westland.
Reception
Computer Gaming World gave the game a very positive review, noting the game uses the same superior interface as previous MacVenture games. The difficulty was noted as a step up from Deja Vu and Uninvited, but Shadowgate was also said to be more flexible, allowing more than one solution to some puzzles.
Sequels
There have been several sequels to the original Shadowgate on other platforms, such as Beyond Shadowgate on TurboGrafx 16 and Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers on the Nintendo 64. Another N64 sequel, Shadowgate Rising, was planned and well into development, but the project was scrapped when Nintendo announced the creation of the game console which would go on to become the GameCube, and it now only exists in the form of a handful of development screenshots and a comic on Infinite Ventures' website entitled Shadowgate Saga: Raven. A remake of the original ("Shadowgate Classic") was released for Windows and the handheld Pocket PC and Game Boy Color systems by Infinite Ventures.
The success of Shadowgate prompted ICOM Simulations to have Kemco/Seika port the other MacVenture titles to the Nintendo Entertainment System.
In the NES version of Uninvited, a phonograph in the Game room (Rec room in original versions) plays a broken-record version of the main theme from Shadowgate.
When the flute item is used in Shadowgate, it plays the first measure of the first song heard when gameplay commences in "Deja Vu".
Prequel story
Before Shadowgate
A book published by Scholastic Corporation under the pen name 'F.X. Nine' was released in 1991 as part of the Worlds of Power series of Video Game Novelizations of third party Nintendo Entertainment System games.
