I have to credit the MacVenture series of NES ports as the titles that made me a fan of point and click adventures. While I read Nintendo Power’s coverage of Maniac Mansion it didn’t grab me. But Shadowgate seemed incredibly cool with its dark atmosphere. I enjoyed it but Déjà Vu is the one that truly hooked me. I love period piece movies and Déjà Vu, with its vague 1940’s setting is excellent. Like its sister titles this is a great port of an awesome game with a thrilling mystery to solve.
Your head is pounding and you don’t know where you are. But things go from bad to worse as you look in the mirror and don’t recognize the face staring back. As if amnesia weren’t bad enough the blood on your hands and the dead man in the next room paint a grim picture. Foul play is afoot as you must regain your lost memories and stay one step ahead of the police as you are the prime suspect in this apparent murder mystery.
Both Shadowgate and Uninvited were dark but fantasy adventures. Déjà Vu is a surprisingly mature game at a time where Nintendo of America tried to avoid any controversy. The plot covers murder, extortion, kidnapping, adultery, and gambling addiction. There has been some censorship although it is inconsistent. Although you can examine your arm to find needle marks the game never mentions a syringe. In fact you don’t inject drugs but put them in capsules and eat them. This is becomes hilarious considering a late game element I won’t spoil. Cigarettes have become chewing gum and a shot of gin is now a seltzer.
Amnesia as a plot device is bit tired, especially after so many Square Enix rpgs. However here the mystery it introduces is compelling and played straight. The game absolutely nails its 40’s setting and places you in that world, as small as it is. The writing is pretty funny in its descriptive text and has an old time slant. For the NES version the UI was redesigned to resemble a detective’s notepad. All dialogue is presented as if written by a typewriter. The plot reveals are doled out at a consistent pace and as the conspiracy takes shape it becomes engaging. I had low expectations for an NES title and Déjà Vu exceeded them.
The focus in Déjà Vu is finding clues rather than solving puzzles. This is the main distinction between it and the other MacVenture titles, and one that sadly makes the game a bit tedious. You need to be meticulous in exploring every single room. This means opening and examining every object you find, which when navigating with a controller is monotonous. The object of the game is to first regain your memory and then find enough evidence to show the police you were framed. As such your inventory will span multiple pages, with most of it filled with junk. You can easily forget a critical item needed to trigger the next event, resulting in monotonous shuffling back and forth. The game does its best to steer you along but some of its puzzles are a bit obtuse. Then again this wouldn’t be an adventure game if it wasn’t.
While the interface can be trying the NES does offer many quality of life improvements. Addresses are given their own menu since you can’t type them out. The command verbs have been consolidated a bit as well. Since the resolution is so low items are displayed as a list rather than a series of icons. There’s lots of page flipping but it’s better than dragging a slow cursor around the screen. It’s also in full color which really sells the game’s atmosphere. A controller is no substitute for a keyboard and mouse with these games but Kemco have done a good job adapting the interface overall.
Death is a constant in these games and that applies here. There are an assortment of shifty characters that can kill you at a moment’s notice. Some of these are funny; the persistent mugger who returns after you beat him up multiple times is one. If you can believe it it’s possible to be eaten by an alligator as well. Like the other games there is a soft time limit; if you don’t regain your memory in time the drugs that induced that amnesia will kill you. But the game is short enough that it isn’t a major concern. The end game is frustrating. You need certain pieces of evidence to prove your innocence otherwise you’ll end up in jail every time. But considering the massive inventory you’ll build good luck deducing that without a guide.
In Closing
I enjoyed Déjà Vu from beginning to end and in my opinion it is the best adventure game for the NES. Cumbersome interface aside its evolving plot will hook you until you clear Ace’s name in the end. This is a great game that I highly recommend for those looking for something different.
