I hope no one ever writes about this game for GameSpite again, because my fingers keep tripping up on the word “Scheherazade.” It’s a real hassle.
That being said, it’s a pretty good little game. I think. It’s been a very long time since I played it. I recall renting it and finishing it waaay back in the day, but upon closer examination I don’t remember a danged thing about how the game actually plays. I tend to have strong memories of even the most boring NES rentals of my youth, but this one: nada. I suppose that makes it the most forgettable NES game I ever played, which seems an unfair legacy (and also an inappropriate one) for such a quirky, unconventional, genre-bending game.
Don’t mind me, I’m just senile.
It’s a good ‘un! Very ambitious and, like many ambitious NES games, very flawed. But the music really is phenomenal! I can remember the main theme off the top of my head right now.
This was really emblematic of most of Culture Brain’s offerings of the NES era. They often had great ideas, but tended to fall a bit short in polish and execution.
That being said, this might have been their best release for the NES. Well, that and the totally rockin’ Baseball Simulator 1.000. The combination of Zelda-ish elements and Dragon Warrior / Quest battles, with an interesting Middle Eastern motif really helped set it apart from the crowd, even if no one really knew about it…
For other lessons in integration of RPG elements into NES games, check out Flying Warriors and Little Ninja Bros. The former pairs a kung-fu platformer with light RPG elements (to mostly mediocre effect), and the latter combines the exploration of a Dragon Quest-type with Kung Fu Heroes.
Oh, and does anyone remember the comic series’ that would appear in various magazines for both these games? Certainly an interesting marketing campaign for both of these.
I guess you know now to never blog about the 1001 Nights.
Great article, keep em’ coming!
It’s kind of amazing that non-formulaic games like Scheherazade and Little Ninja Brothers were made and localized. I liked both games, though I never got very far in either one.
And it’s a little depressing to think how few experimental games get published on discs for today’s consoles. In order to justify ridiculous budgets, modern games have to be glossy and very commercial. Well, at least we have XBLA, PSN, Wiiware, DSiWare, iTunes, and a number of ways to sell computer games.