Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 02/08/91 Genre: Adventure
Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom is one of the strangest NES games. As the system gained popularity worldwide it is natural that publishers would try and localize anything they could get their hands on. We got some real gems out of it too like Clash at Daemonhead and the Guardian Legend. But even by those standards a point and click adventure game starring anthropomorphic vegetables is an odd choice. Hats off to Hudson Soft for taking a chance on this one. I doubt it was a success but we got a good game out of the deal.
You are Sir Cucumber, a knight in the Salad Kingdom. Princess Tomato has been kidnapped by Minister Pumpkin and you are her only hope. Together with your sidekick Percy you set out to rescue her from the evil Minister and his army of Farmies.
The few adventure games on the NES were ports from the PC or Maintosh like Shadowgate and Déjà vu. In Japan they were even more widespread but = entirely skipped the West with this one exception. Princess Tomato was originally released for Japanese PCs like the PC-88, Sharp X1, and the MSX. With its distinctive angular art style it is still pretty unique in the adventure genre. The NES version is complete remake from its visuals to its interface. The story is largely the same but significantly expanded as the game is now eight chapters long versus the four in the original. There are also other additions that add some variety to the gameplay although whether they are worthwhile is debatable.
As a console game the interface is a bit busy but necessary in order to give you the commands to interact with the world. Nearly every option you could want is at your fingertips and while it is cumbersome it is easy to adapt. There is no pointer to interact with the environment. Looking around will identify points or people of interest and check will interact. This eliminates one of the most frustrating elements of PC adventure games, pixel hunting. In some sense that makes it simpler but in its place you will have to use the same command multiple times to progress. The game leans on this a bit too much for my taste. It slows the pacing in a game that does not need it.
Princess Tomato is split into eight chapters and is longer than the PC original. Each chapter usually focuses on one location which is only a few screens long which makes it easier to find the necessary items or NPCs to progress. While the computer versions were relatively straightforward the NES version adds a massive amount of new content that slot in to the story neatly. Once you leave Saladoria you end up in jail and meet some new characters. Later you get to explore Sopville, home of the Farmies while in disguise before sneaking in to the castle. Unfortunately there are RPG elements that are an afterthought that add nothing to the experience. The first person mazes are at least simple with no stakes. The rock, paper, scissor battles (called finger wars) is more annoying than exciting. At least you only have to do these a few times.
Princess Tomato makes a great beginner adventure game due to its ease. It is impossible to die. At most you will end up frustrated, either at the messy UI or some of the nonsensical puzzles. Percy does a good job providing hints but when he is clueless you are left to wander aimlessly until you stumble on to the solution. Usually this entails spamming the same command three or four times to trigger the next event which is annoying. Outside of these instances the pace is fast and the charming yet weird world will entice you in to finishing the game in one sitting. I did not know what to expect going in to this one. Nintendo Power’s coverage and some of the discourse surrounding it decades ago is all I remember, some of it negative. I am glad Princess Tomato is better than it sounds.
In Closing
Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom is one of the weirdest games you will play on the NES. Despite a few interface issues however it is entertaining enough to experience at least once. The game will charm your pants off and its chapter based progression makes it easily digestible. The lack of any challenge means it is over quickly but for the price it is worth it.
