is a 2D action

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

developed by Thinking Rabbit for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. The game features eight levels, and can be played by one or two players. It also features a large, diverse soundtrack, composed by Kenzou Kumei, often quoting from the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic repertoire, consisting of three pieces for each of the eight levels, each set in a different part of the world.

Piko Interactive Piko Interactive LLC is an American video game publisher based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in early 2013 by Eli Galindo, the company focuses on physical re-releases of games from older video game consoles and digitally released ports to newer ...

acquired the right of this game and released it for the Microsoft Windows via Steam in August 14, 2019. This game also included in

Evercade The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by UK company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Development began in 2018, and the console was rel ...

''Piko Interactive Collection 1'' that was released in June 18, 2020.

Story

English version

''8 Eyes'' is set in a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

future. Mankind is recovering from hundreds of years of chaos and nuclear war, and civilization is being rebuilt by the Great King, who harnesses the power of eight

jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

. The jewels, known as the 8 Eyes, were formed at the centers of eight

nuclear explosion A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading combination of the two, tho ...

s that came close to destroying the Earth. The 8 Eyes have mysterious power which, in the wrong hands, could bring about the end of the world. The Great King's eight power-hungry

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

s steal the jewels for themselves and banish the King to the nuclear wastelands, threatening to once again plunge the Earth into war. The player controls Orin the Falconer and his fighting

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

Cutrus. His mission is to infiltrate the Dukes' eight

castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

and retrieve the 8 Eyes. With the help of Cutrus, Orin must fight the Dukes' soldiers, nuclear mutants, and the duke of each castle to retrieve the jewels. After the jewels have been recovered, Orin must return them to the Altar of Peace so that the Great King may return and finish rebuilding the Earth.

Japanese version

The Japanese version of the game is set in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

in the late 19th century. A research team was sent by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

to investigate some newly discovered ruins. However, the entire team was brutally slaughtered, with their heads missing and their stomach cut open. All of the artifacts they uncovered and their excavation journals were stolen. The perpetrator of the murders was a group led by Ruth Grandier, a female bandit known for her demonic worship who claimed that she and her group were fallen children of Lucifer. The

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

learned that Ruth's group stole artifacts that concealed demonic secrets and could be used in a dark ritual to resurrect demons. In order to stop Ruth, the College of Arms Seventh Division (which would eventually become the

MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...

) decided to send Baronet Sir Julian James Bond, the greatest swordsman in all of England. Sir Bond infiltrated the Balkans along with his pet eagle, Cutlass.

Gameplay

The game consists of eight levels, each set in the castle of one of the dukes. At the completion of each level, Orin receives a new sword. The player can choose to play each of the first seven castles in any order, though the boss at the end of each is vulnerable to only one sword. It is therefore easier to play levels in a particular order. There are hints about the correct order hidden throughout the game. Only after each has been completed can the House of Ruth be played. After the House of Ruth has been cleared and the 8 Eyes recovered, the player must return the jewels to the Altar of Peace. At this point the jewels must be placed in a particular order, or the game is lost. Hints about the order of the jewels are also hidden throughout the game. ''8 Eyes'' features a cooperative mode in which one player controls Orin and the other player controls Cutrus. In the single-player mode, the player has limited control of both characters simultaneously, making the game significantly more difficult. The gameplay and graphical style are noticeably similar to '' Castlevania''.

Reception

''8 Eyes'' received mediocre reviews upon its release. ''

Power Play Power play or powerplay or their plurals may refer to: Sports * Power play (sporting term), a sporting term used in various games * Powerplay (cricket), a rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international cricket * Power play (cur ...

'' gave the game a 60/100. ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' scored ''8 Eyes'' 23/40.''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', March 1900

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/8-eyes, name=''8 Eyes'' 1988 video games Action-adventure games Asymmetrical multiplayer video games Gothic video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Piko Interactive games Post-apocalyptic video games Side-scrolling platform games Thinking Rabbit games Video games developed in Japan Video games set in Egypt Video games set in Germany Video games set in India Video games set in Italy Video games set in Spain