is a cinematic platform video game developed by Motivetime and published by CSG Imagesoft for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

. Based on the LaserDisc game of the same name, it is identical plotwise to the original.

Gameplay

The game is a

side-scroller A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graph ...

with the character walking slowly. Dirk can walk, crawl, or jump forward, and he has an array of weapons that he can discover and use to dispose of enemies. There are seven areas of the castle and four main levels of play.

Regional differences

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

and Famicom versions have faster gameplay than the original North American release due to improved framerate. Both versions also use 256KB

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

s compared to the US's 128KB ROM. Furthermore, the PAL version has also additional enemies in The Entrance Hall level: spiders, flying insects, and a giant snake boss at the end; new death animation (when Dirk gets flattened); splash screens that appear as the player enters each level (beside The Dungeon stage); and The Elevator Shaft area has increased difficulty with added projectiles flying around, touching one is instant death. The Japanese and PAL versions play most of the songs faster. Also, a part of the ending theme was changed. The 30 Life Code was added exclusively to the PAL and Japanese versions. It gives 30 lives to the player after they gain a high score and enter "BATS" as their name. The player will get the extra lives in their next game.

Reception

The game was panned by critics due to its poor controls, sluggish movement, and immense difficulty level. The game was especially criticized for the player dying in one hit from most obstacles (even by touching a door) and enemies, despite the player having a health bar. ''GamePro's'' Charlie T. Astan were one of the few to give the game a positive score, noting it as having "brilliant graphics" and a "high frustration factor", though Astan speculated that with how the player is defeated in "all sorts of amusing and creative ways", that "you might come to like it."

Notes

References

External links