8 Eyes

"Clunky, impossible Castlevania ripoff starring a falcon. Oh, and you only get one life. Sounds like a winner..."

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Synopsis: Many people claim this is a complete ripoff of Castlevania, though I have never played that game yet honestly, though I believe them. The premise is a fun idea, you go through castles killing monsters with a sword, items, and a falcon. It is supposed to take place in a post-apocalyptic world, where you go to different countries to complete the castles. But… The game is super difficult.
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Graphics: They are pretty good for Nintendo. There is detail in the monsters, levels, etc. So I will give this game a good note on that the graphics don't completely suck and are generally good for the era it came out in, for the NES.
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Play Control: This is the big disappointment. I really don't like the controls of the game. Not only is it confusing to try to control the guy and his falcon, the game doesn't have a good feel when playing, with the controller, especially when jumping and on stairs. Also, to kill and avoid monsters is pretty difficult as well. So with the controls, this game is very hard.
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Game Design: I did enjoy the design. Complex levels, with general detail, and lots of levels too. Interesting that the levels are supposed to be in different countries. The game has a decent amount of content for a NES game, and could even be considered long. Only problem is that many people complain the similarity between Castlevania, so really it's almost a copycat and not very original.
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Satisfaction: I would give a good score on this topic if the game wasn't so damn hard to play. I enjoyed everything about the game, except the difficulty. Even with save states, the game is impossible and frustrating. So challenge: Not satisfying. Rest of the game: Satisfying. But with the challenge, it defeats the whole purpose of the game being fun.
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Sound: Another plus. With limited ability to make good music back then, I felt the music was intricate enough, and the theme went well with the levels. You will have an occasional annoying song, but all in all, I think the music is generally good in this game.
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Comments: The game subtly reminded me of Zelda II. If the play control was like Zelda, the game could be a really good game. But since it's not, it's just another long forgotten game collecting dust in a basement somewhere. A damn shame they made this game so hard to play, it zapped the fun right out of it.
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Ultimate Rating: 5/10
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Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/15/07

Game Release: 8 Eyes (US, January 1990)