Overall 8.5 Graphics 7 Sound 4 Addictive 7 Story 6 Depth 7 Difficulty 8
8.1
You wake up not knowing who you are, where you are, and theres a dead body. Uh oh. endings
Deju Vu is a game where you spend most of the game trying to clear yourself of a crime you're not even sure if you did. Heck, you don't even know who you are! Its like a pulp fiction novel, a detective noir tale where foul play happens a lot. While you start the game not knowing anything, pieces will come back to you - and the rooms, streets and areas you explore will help you unravel the mystery of who framed you for murder. This is a first person game thats a series of static pictures giving you the idea of 3-D. You will pick up a lot of items, and use them to help you clear your name. You hardly ever fight anyone, so its low on action, but big on problem solving - an unorthodox puzzler.Graphics:7There have definitely been better looking games for the NES. Deju Vu has some fairly decent scenery, and some people to interact with. But everything is static, and theres almost no animation in the game. This gives the sense you are reading a book, something the bottom narrative text helps accentuate.Sound:4Sound is OK, the title track is quite mysterious, or indicate danger. But theres less than 10 unique tracks - so expect to get bored quickly. All the music is short loops, and have a bit of a 40's vibe to them, to go with the setting. Perhaps the most jarring track to me was titled 'Who Am I?' which plays when you look in a mirror or remember things. It sounds like two keys just being hit one after the other, uncreative and annoying.
Story:6 / Addictiveness: 7
Unlike the other two Kemco games of this nature (all in worlds unrelated to each other), the story had revelations and you really felt like you were uncovering your name with each lead. The addictiveness was good, as the game's goal is clear, and and was fairly fun to figure out. The slow interface can definitely put some people off, so I can't rate addictiveness too high, its a niche game that may bore people before they get too far into it.
The controls feel like they are for mouse because well, they are. This is a port of a computer game, one of several Kemco did for the NES. They are clunky, and you have to proceed slowly. For instance, you can't just move, you have to open any door you want to travel through first. You have to use a coin if you want to play a slot machine, the game doesn't just take it for you. Once you get used to this somewhat realistic cause-and-effect, the game is not hard to play, and fairly fun.
Depth: 7
This is an area a game like this can excel. There are lots of things to pick up. You character might as well be a hoarder. You don't know whats useful, so you might as well take it with you. Of course, you can always come back for something later, areas can be revisited many times.
DIfficulty: 8
This game can be difficult, just in how vague it can be. There are keys to find that are not near what you need them for, and there are things you have to rely on luck. There is a mugger who can shoot you, or you could run out of money, things you have to find out for yourself. When I rented this A LONG TIME AGO, I had almost beat the game, you are presented with getting rid of anything you have that could be suspicious, and keeping only what you need. But the game doesn't spell it all out, so you could end up going to jail anyway. So save your game often!
This is a good whodunit (if the world does feel a bit too small) that doesn't give you a lot of suspects, so its not a Sherlock Holmes game. Think more Phoenix Wright, you have only a few suspects, and its got to be one of them! But the slow, obsolete interface of yesterday can make this unattractive for today's gamers. If you ended up liking this game, try Deju Vu part 2, also on Vizzed. Or Shadowgate, for a fantasy feel.
Graphics 7 Sound 4 Addictive 7 Story 6 Depth 7 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 3.5/5
Submitted: 01-25-15
Updated: 01-25-15
Review Replies: 1
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