Shadowgate is my favorite console game, not just for NES, but all consoles. This game in itself could be used to define high-quality retro gaming.
It is, as stated, an NES game and starts out with you in front of Castle Shadowgate, having journeyed there to stop an evil warlock. As it would happen, he's planning to destroy the world with an unstoppable creature known as the Behemoth. All the other adventurers before you have died within the walls of Castle Shadowgate, and now with time running short, you're the world's last hope. The warlock is finishing his preparations deep within the castle, which is his private fortress. Good for him it's heavily booby-trapped and well guarded. Bad for you.
Your objective is to pass safely from room to room, figuring out where you need to go and how to progress further, using a system of commands which include "Move", "Open", "Examine", "Take", "Use", etc. Castle Shadowgate is filled with secret passages, deadly traps, vicious creatures, deadly traps, hidden items, deadly traps, and did I mention deadly traps? To put it lightly, there are
a lot of traps, and even more ways to die. There are an almost endless number of ways to commit suicide, from setting yourself on fire with your torch, to jumping out of a high window, to diving into a clearly shark-infested pool, to plunging your sword into your chest. Basically anything is possible. Even without suicide, you'll die a lot. Yes, I mean a lot. But don't worry, when you die, after meeting the Grim Reaper, you go back to the last room you were in before that, as if you had never continued any further. Also, there is a save feature, which you'll need the first time playing, for when you get too frustrated or lost to continue.
The system of lives in this game is fairly unique. The inside of the castle is pitch black, so in order to journey within it, you need a lit torch, which you start with. However, after a while, it begins to die out, and that's when you want to light a new one. Unlit torches can be found throughout the castle, mainly on the walls where they would traditionally be used for light. You collect them as you progress, and if one burns low, you light a new one. If your torch burns out completely, you stumble in the dark, fall, and crack open your skull, meaning if you run out of torches, you have to start the game over, or continue from one room earlier.. which means you have maybe two minutes to run around looking for another torch before dying again.
This game, the first time through, took me 2 years to beat. I found out later there is a 'hint' button which gives you various clues for each room, which is the single biggest drawback of the game. I would never use the 'hint' button, myself, and I would suggest no one else to either. It really takes away from the gameplay. If you can't figure something out, leave the game and come back later.. that's what I did, hence the 2 years of gameplay. Now though, I can beat it in about 20 minutes.. I've played it completely through at least 10 times.
Shadowgate has been remade for Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64. The GBC version is exactly the same, however the N64 version is completely new. Apparently the original NES game had such a huge following they were compelled to remake it, although the transition from still frames to a three-dimensional environment is a rough one. Needless to say, Shadowgate 64 can't compare to its NES predecessor, and I haven't played it nearly long enough to judge it any further than that.
I have made a zip file which contains the NESticle Emulator and the Shadowgate ROM, and have hosted it online, so you can play it on your computer. However, we cannot link to such files, so if you want the link to the zip file, you need to privately message me about it and I will reply back with the link, or you can simply go to
www.google.com and look for NESticle and the Shadowgate NES ROM.
Anyways, that's my take on this game. I had to make a thread for it
Has anyone else ever played Shadowgate, and if so, what were your thoughts?
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