Deja Vu
System: NES
Release Date: December 1990
Developer: Kemco
Publisher: Kemco*Seika
Genre: Adventure
It’s a frame up and you’ve got to solve the mystery or you’ll be sent away forever in Deja Vu! You take the role of Ace Harding, former boxer turned private investigator, wakes up in a bathroom stall, dried blood covering his hand, with not a memory in his head. Whodunnit is the name of this game, because all the evidence points to you. Can you find all the clues to exonerate your name? It’s film noir on the home console.
Though Shadowgate came first on the NES, Deja Vu was created first in the MacVenture series of games. That said, the game plays identical. You see the scene in front of you and can find information and items that can be picked up and used. Moving around can be impeded by locked doors, so finding keys is important. You’re a PI, so even though amnesia has taken away the conscious memory, the subconscious is always working. You need to find a way to reverse the amnesia, but this comes as you move through the story.
You need to take a cab multiple times through the game, so you had better have a number of coins in hand. You start with seven and have to win at the slot machine in order to get enough to travel around the city. A random encounter with a mugger can be solved with a punch to the face. Really, if anyone threatens you or gets in your way, it’s best to resort to fisticuffs.
Though you may always have a gun in hand, you don’t want to use it unless you need to. Shooting and killing anyone outside of your office is an immediate game over. Locked doors and cabinets are another story, though. The plot is a kidnapping gig masking a murder and it’s not an incredibly difficult mystery to piece together. The hardest part is making sure that you discard all items that point to you as the culprit. If you miss one, the police put you in jail forever. But if you convince the cops that you are innocent, you get to stay free to solve another crime.
Graphics: 2.5
Scenes are illustrated well, but it is all static.
Sound: 2.5
More hit than miss, but the loops are kind of short.
Gameplay: 2.0
Point and click. Figure out which verbs you need to use at any time.
Difficulty: 2.0
As long as you examine everything and open all drawers, you will find what you need to finish the game. Make sure you discard everything that doesn’t exonerate you.
Fun Factor: 2.5
It’s enjoyable enough. Maybe a bit quicker the Shadowgate, but there is only one random BS death as opposed to many.
Overall Rating: 2.3
Deja Vu earns a C+. I enjoyed this as a follow up to Shadowgate back as a kid and I still like it now. It’s not a long playthrough, so solve the mystery and have a good time.