Games you’ve never heard of – Nightshade

Point and click adventures have always been rare gems in the video game world, but a point and click adventure on the NES is nearly unheard of. The original Nintendo built its reputation on iconic platformers like Super Mario Bros., and the system is plagued with dozens and dozens of space shooters, and while Nightshade is one of only a handful of point and click games on the NES, it clearly stands on its own.

The game begins with the titular hero tied to a chair with a bomb nearby. The villain of the game spouts some standard villain monologue and then leaves the hero to die. Within the first few seconds of the game, the player has to think fast and figure out how to escape this situation. It’s quite a thrilling way to begin a game.

After escaping the bomb, Nightshade finds that he is trapped in the villain’s house. I was in middle school the first time I encountered this game. Jared Lee and I played for hours to try and figure out how to escape the opening part of the game. Like any good point and click game, it takes a lot of trial and error to find all of the necessary items to progress.

The menus in this game are a bit of a hassle. In fact, I’ve been playing this game on and off for well over ten years now and it wasn’t until a few days ago that I figured out how to replenish my health! Call me crazy, but I find it ridiculous that there is a “use” and a “operate” command in this game.

After getting out of the house, the game sort of leaves you to your own devices and that is what could either make or break the game for players. On the one hand, the exploration aspect of the game is deeply rewarding because each new discovery leaves the player feeling a great sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, this lack of direction can lead to a lot of frustrating developments as the combat system in the game is incredibly unbalanced.

That’s right, a combat system.

Not content with being just a point and click game, there are times when Nightshade must do battle with the minions of the city. Some fights are decent while others are absolutely impossible. (hint: guys in blue hats and ratmen are pushovers. Ninja ladies are exceptionally difficult. Robot Anubis is impossible).

Despite the frustrating difficulty, the lack of direction, and the flawed controls, this is one of the best games on the original Nintendo. I know that I haven’t really sold the game so far, so allow me to explain the main reason I keep coming back to this nightmare; the humor.

I have never in my life laughed as hard as I have while playing Nightshade there are tons and tons of gags, puns, and jokes in this game and they all work. Even if they are a bit cheesy, in the end, it doesn’t matter because it is just that funny. The developers made a conscious effort to subvert the ideas that gamers bring to point and click adventures.

For instance, on the second screen of the game, Nightshade examines a painting and the description reads, “It’s thoroughly unremarkable, except . . .  NO! Wait a minute! It’s got . . . no, sorry, it is unremarkable.”

In another screen in the game, a box lies in the middle of the street. Upon examination, the box reads, “Contents: Red Herring.”

Upon activating a switch that reveals a hidden passage, Nightshade remarks, “Great quivering enigmas with a side salad and a light tartare sauce! There’s a hidden exit here!” Its just little jokes like this that make one smile and appreciate the humor put into every single screen of this game.

In addition to the humor, the aforementioned difficulty can really drive a player to see not necessarily how far one can get, but rather, how the individual pieces of the game work together. Even dying in the game is an adventure as Nightshade doesn’t really die so much as he is put into a death trap for the player to figure out how to escape. As a kid, I had no idea how to escape even the first death trap, but thanks to the magic of the internet, I can get through them all now.

Speaking of the internet, I honestly have no idea how people were able to play this game without a walkthrough. It is so extremely complex that it boggles the mind. On top of the fact that the game doesn’t give any indication on where to go or what to do, and the fact that the battle system is unfair and that continuing after death requires some brain work, there are no save points, passwords, or continues.

Now, let’s compare this to another game that I’m playing right now, Castlevania: Lord of Shadow. There are a few platforming moments in C:LoS that are a little tough and I’ve fallen, but did I die? No. I’m magically teleported back to the ledge I leapt off from with only a minor penalty to my health.

In terms of battle, I’ve slain numerous enemies without a problem, but even if my health gets a little low, I can activate my “light relic” and heal as I beat the crap out of enemies that will drop items that will allow me to heal more. The game can be difficult at times, but there is never a moment where I feel as if the odds are insurmountable.

Even Demons Souls with all of its moments that require players to be perfect in execution isn’t nearly as hard as Nightshade is because at least DS has a straightforward objective; get to the end of a linear level and kill the boss. It’s just fascinating to think about how babied we’ve become as gamers.

Nightshade isn’t just a game; its an investment. There is so much to do in this game that one has to make an absolutely conscious effort to play the same game twice. It’s a whole lot of game for the time and even for today. It’s well worth seeking out and firing up in your NES, or worth finding for an emulator, either way, please play this game because it is well worth your time.