Nightshade (1992 video game)

Last updated
Nightshade Part 1:
The Claws of Sutekh
Nightshade (NES) Coverart.png
Developer(s) Beam Software
Publisher(s) Ultra Games
Designer(s) Paul Kidd
Writer(s) Paul Kidd, Jef Kamenek
Composer(s) Marshall Parker
Platform(s) NES
Release
  • NA: January, 1992
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Nightshade, fully titled Nightshade Part 1: The Claws of Sutekh onscreen, [1] [2] is an action-adventure video game released in 1992 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Ultra Games. [1] [2] The game was meant to be the first part in a series, but no sequels were ever made; however, it served as the basis for Beam Software's Super NES video game adaptation of Shadowrun. [3] [4]

Contents

It was released on the Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in December 2020. [5]

Plot

The game takes place in a fictional urban city called Metro City. As the story unfolds, the city's local superhero named Vortex is outnumbered by gangs and killed. [5] With the city's protector murdered, crime grows rapidly. Soon enough, the city's crime lords start fighting over control of the city, until a villain named Waldo P. Schmeer (More commonly known as Sutekh) takes control, combining all the gangs into one. With the city completely overrun by Sutekh and the other crime lords (Rat King, Goliath, Lord Muck, and Ninja Mistress), it is soon devoured in crime. A vigilante named Mark (alias Nightshade) decides to step up and take the law into his own hands, vowing to rid Metro City of crime. [1]

Outside of the occasional violence, the game is actually somewhat light in tone (even Nightshade himself is constantly being called "Lampshade" or "Nightcart" by everybody) [5] and rife with various popular culture references. The ending gives credit to people for the "bad jokes."

Gameplay

The game had a unique feature; along with the action sequences and point-and-click game elements, there was a "popularity meter" that would go up or down as Nightshade performed good deeds well or poorly. [6] Higher popularity meant greater recognition by everyday citizens of Metro City and allowed Nightshade access to more areas.

The game also included fighting segments that required quick button responses.

Development

According to Paul Kidd, who served as the director, writer and lead designer, he was not allowed to put a battery-backed ROM to allow save files. [3] To work around this issue, Kidd and the other developers decided that Sutekh would throw Nightshade into a deathtrap, inspired by various James Bond movies. [5]

The first four traps each had a solution and Nightshade would escape back onto the streets of Metro City (minus some popularity points). The final one does not, and the player would have to start over from the beginning of the game. Additionally the game begins with Nightshade tied to a chair, next to which Sutekh has placed a small bomb. While technically not a deathtrap (the bomb, if not escaped on time, does not do lethal damage) this introduces the trap-escape/problem-solving element early on.

Reception

The game was received poorly for its complicated, yet not adjustable controls. [ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo</span> Japanese video game company

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.

<i>Mario Is Missing!</i> 1993 video game

Mario Is Missing! is a 1993 educational game developed and published by The Software Toolworks for MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, later released on Macintosh in 1994. The player controls Luigi, who must travel around the world to find and return stolen treasures as part of a quest to find his brother, Mario, who has been captured by Bowser. Mario Is Missing!, part of a series of educational Mario games, was Luigi's second starring role in a video game, following the 1990 Game Watch game Luigi's Hammer Toss and preceding the 2001 GameCube game Luigi's Mansion.

<i>Final Fight</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Final Fight is a 1989 beat 'em up game developed and published by Capcom for arcades, being the seventh title released for the CP System hardware. Set in the fictional Metro City, the player controls one of three street fighters: former pro wrestler and city mayor Mike Haggar, expert brawler Cody Travers, and modern-day ninja Guy. The trio set out to rescue Jessica when she is kidnapped by the Mad Gear Gang.

<i>River City Ransom</i> 1989 video game

River City Ransom, known as Street Gangs in PAL regions, is an open world beat 'em up video game originally for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is an English localization of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari for the Famicom. The game was developed by Technōs Japan and released in Japan on April 25, 1989.

Ultra Software Corporation was a shell corporation and publishing label created in 1988 as a subsidiary of Konami of America, in an effort to get around Nintendo of America's strict licensing rules in place at the time for the North American market. One of these rules was that a third-party company could only publish up to five games per year for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US.

<i>Marios Time Machine</i> 1993 video game

Mario's Time Machine is an educational video game originally released for MS-DOS and then for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES consoles. The Software Toolworks both developed and published the MS-DOS and Super NES versions in 1993, while the NES version was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by The Software Toolworks in 1994. The Microsoft Windows version was re-released as Mario's Time Machine Deluxe in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamepad</span> Type of video game controller

A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beam Software</span> Former Australian video game developer

Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was an Australian video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Australia. Initially formed to produce books and software to be published by Melbourne House, a company they had established in London in 1977, the studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd.. In 2006 the studio was sold to Krome Studios.

<i>Final Fight 3</i> 1995 video game

Final Fight 3, released in Japan as Final Fight Tough, is a side-scrolling beat 'em up by Capcom originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is the second sequel to Final Fight released for the Super NES, following Final Fight 2, and like its predecessor, it was produced by Capcom's consumer division with no preceding arcade version released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WaveBird Wireless Controller</span> Radio frequency-based wireless controller for the GameCube

The WaveBird Wireless Controller is a radio frequency-based wireless controller manufactured by Nintendo for use with the GameCube home video game console. Its name is a reference to Dolphin, the GameCube's codename during development. The WaveBird was available for purchase separately as well as in bundles with either Metroid Prime or Mario Party 4, which were exclusive to Kmart in the US.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> (NES video game) 1993 video game

Jurassic Park is a 1993 video game based on the film and novel of the same name. It was developed and published by Ocean Software and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Ocean also ported the game onto the handheld Game Boy console.

<i>Shadowrun</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

Shadowrun is a cyberpunk-fantasy action role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, adapted from the tabletop role-playing game Shadowrun by FASA. The video game was developed by Australian company Beam Software and first released in 1993 by Data East.

<i>The Immortal</i> (video game) 1990 video game

The Immortal is an isometric action-adventure game originally created by Will Harvey and released by Electronic Arts in 1990 for the Apple IIGS. It was soon ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Genesis. A wizard is attempting to find his mentor in a large and dangerous labyrinth. It has a high degree of graphic violence. In 2020, the NES port was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online service, while the Genesis port was re-released on the Piko Collection Collection 1 cartridge for the Evercade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monopoly in video games</span> Video game series

There have been numerous Monopoly video games based on the core game mechanics of Parker Brothers and Hasbro's board game Monopoly. They have been developed by numerous teams and released on multiple platforms over 35+ years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Nintendo</span>

The history of Nintendo, a Japan-based international video game company, starts in 1889 when Fusajiro Yamauchi founded "Yamauchi Nintendo", producing handmade hanafuda playing cards. Since its founding, the company has been headquartered in Kyoto. Sekiryo Kaneda was company president from 1929 to 1949, and succeeded by Hiroshi Yamauchi. Hiroshi Yaumauchi's Nintendo started producing toys like the Ultra Hand and operating love hotels. In the 1970s and 80s, they made arcade games and related accessories, as well as the Color TV-Game series of home consoles and the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video game console emulator</span> Program that reproduces video game consoles behavior

A video game console emulator is a type of emulator that allows a computing device to emulate a video game console's hardware and play its games on the emulating platform. More often than not, emulators carry additional features that surpass limitations of the original hardware, such as broader controller compatibility, timescale control, easier access to memory modifications, and unlocking of gameplay features. Emulators are also a useful tool in the development process of homebrew demos and the creation of new games for older, discontinued, or rare consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Entertainment System</span> Home video game console

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on July 15, 1983, as the Family Computer (Famicom). It was released in US test markets as the redesigned NES in October 1985, and fully launched in the US the following year. The NES was distributed in Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia throughout the 1980s under various names. As a third-generation console, it mainly competed with Sega's Master System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Switch</span> Hybrid video game console

The Nintendo Switch is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the Wii U and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4; it also competes with the ninth generation consoles, Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S and Sony's PlayStation 5.

Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch video game console. The service is Nintendo's third-generation online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Nintendo Network. Following an interim period which began with the launch of the Nintendo Switch where Nintendo offered online multiplayer free of charge and the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online Smartphone App on July 21, 2017, the subscription service officially launched on September 18, 2018. An expanded tier of the service, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, was released on October 25, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nightshade (NES) – Hardcore Gaming 101".
  2. 1 2 "All Games by Beam Software - Nintendo Life". www.nintendolife.com. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  3. 1 2 "'Might Have Been' - Nightshade". Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Nightshade, NES". The King of Grabs. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "You need to play this forgotten noir mystery on Nintendo Switch ASAP". Inverse. 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  6. ↑ "5 NES Games That Should Be Remade for Current-Gen Consoles". Hey Poor Player. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.