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Nightshade (1991 video game)

Nightshade Part 1:
The Claws of Sutekh
Nightshade
Cover art
Developer(s) Beam Software
Publisher(s) Ultra Games
Designer(s) Paul Kidd
Artist(s) Holger Liebnitz
Composer(s) Marshall Parker
Platform(s) NES
Release date(s)
  • NA: January 1992
Genre(s) Action-adventure game
Mode(s) Single-player

Nightshade (In-game title is Nightshade Part 1: The Claws of Sutekh) is an action-adventure game released in 1992 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Ultra Games. The game was meant to be the first part in a series, but no sequels were ever made; however, it served as the basis for Beam Software's 1993 game Shadowrun.

The game takes place in a fictional urban city called Metro City. As the story unfolds, the city's local superhero named Vortex is outnumbered by gangs and killed. With the city's protector murdered, crime grows rapidly. Soon enough, the city's crime lords start fighting over control of the city, until a villain named Sutekh takes control, combining all the gangs into one. With the city completely overrun by Sutekh and the other crime lords (Rat King, Goliath, Lord Muck, and Ninja Mistress), it is soon devoured in crime. A vigilante named Mark (alias Nightshade) decides to step up and take the law into his own hands, vowing to rid Metro City of crime.

Outside of the occasional violence, the game is actually somewhat light in tone (even Nightshade himself is constantly being called "Lampshade" by everybody) and rife with various popular culture references. The ending gives credit to people for the "bad jokes."

The game had a unique feature; along with the action sequences and point-and-click game elements, there was a "popularity meter" that would go up or down as Nightshade performed good deeds well or poorly. Higher popularity meant greater recognition by everyday citizens of Metro City and allowed Nightshade access to more areas. The game also included fighting segments that required quick button responses.


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