''Nightshade'', entitled ''Nightshade Part 1: The Claws of Sutekh'' onscreen, is a 1992

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

developed by Beam Software and published by Ultra Games 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 ...

(NES). The game was meant to be the first part in a series, but no

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s were ever made; however, it served as the basis for Beam Software's video game adaptation of '' ''Shadowrun''.'' It was released on the

Nintendo Switch The 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 video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

for the

Nintendo Classics Nintendo Classics is a line of Video game console emulator, emulated retro games distributed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch family of systems and Nintendo Switch 2. Subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online service have access to games for ...

service in December 2020.

Plot

The game takes place in a fictional urban city called Metro City. As the story unfolds, the city's local

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

named Vortex is outnumbered by gangs and killed. 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 Sutekh may refer to: * Set (deity) Set (; Egyptian language#Egyptological pronunciation, Egyptological: ''Sutekh - swtẖ ~ stẖ'' or: Seth ) is a deity, god of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion ...

and the other crime lords (Rat King,

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

, Lord

Muck Muck most often refers to: *Muck (soil), a soil made up primarily of humus from drained swampland Muck may also refer to: Places Europe * Muck, Scotland, an island * Isle of Muck, County Antrim, a small island connected by sand spit to Portmuck ...

, and

Ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

Mistress), it is soon devoured in crime. A

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

named Mark ( alias Nightshade) decides to step up and take the law into his own hands, vowing to rid Metro City of crime. Outside of the occasional violence, the game is actually somewhat light in tone (even Nightshade himself is constantly being called "

Lampshade A lampshade is a fixture that envelops the light bulb to redirect the light it emits. The shade is often affixed onto a light fixture to reduce the intensity of the light to observers, shield the light from a harsh environment, or for decorati ...

" or "Nightcart" by everybody) 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. 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 Pauli Kidd, who served as the director, writer and lead designer, she was not allowed to put a battery-backed ROM to allow save files. 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. Kidd spoke on the genesis of the title stating "We had been commissioned to do an adventure game, these guys wanted a gumshoe, 1930s,

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

kind of thing...on the last day I hooked up with a very talented programmer called Jef Kamenek...we took a look and thought yeah this is fine but it lacks something so we sat down together and said why don't we do this as a comedy ? So what I did was rewrite all the dialog as comedy dialog" 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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nightshade (1992 Video Game) 1992 video games Action-adventure games Beam Software games Nintendo Entertainment System games North America-exclusive video games Organized crime video games Piko Interactive games Superhero video games Video games developed in Australia Vigilante characters in video games Nintendo Classics games Single-player video games