Jeremy Parish

Metroidvania Works #15: Rambo & The Magic of Scheherazade (Patreon)

Published:

2023-06-07 11:49:57

Imported:

2024-04

Tags:

acclaim culture brain metroidvania nes pack-in-video rambo the magic of scheherazade

Content

Whoa, a video that isn't about Sega Master System? In the Year of Our Lord 2023? Will wonders never cease....

Yes, fulfilling the mandate to take a Sega break and explore the opportunity to publish a book charting the Metroidvania Works narrative, I've returned to the well of nonlinear action-RPG-adventure games from 35+ years ago. The next few videos will concern some fairly familiar material, although as we see here the staggered releases between Famicom and NES versions of text-heavy games means that some of these titles won't show up on NES Work until 1989 or even, as with The Magic of Scheherazade here, 1990.

But you know the drill. Even when I'm exploring material that has already come under discussion on NES Works, I do it through the lens of the metroidvania/action-RPG genres' parallel, interwoven evolution. And I promise to touch on some stuff that'll never get covered here otherwise. So please enjoy, and hopefully you'll find the revised color scheme for this series' branding to be easier on the eyes.

Files

Backtracking though the jungle: Rambo & The Magic of Scheherazade | Metroidvania Works 15

Metroidvania Returns with a new look and... well, that's it, just a new color scheme for the lower thirds. Everything else about resumes where we left off [checks notes] two years ago?! Yes, this episode has actually fallen behind the NES Works chronology, sort of. The Famicom release dates for Rambo and The Magic Scheherazade bring us to the end of 1987, right in the thick of the Famicom development communities drive toward metroidvaniation. That impulse manifests in the most unlikely ways—like with Pack-In Video's decision to take a Hollywood action movie and transform it into a story-driven, open world, exploratory action-adventure complete with a simplified experience system and inventory mechanics. Weird, but fascinating nonetheless. Somehow, Rambo for NES/Famicom gives us our first proper attempt to capture the lightning of Zelda II in a bottle... though certainly not the last attempt we'll see here. And as our action-RPG sidebar, we have Culture Brain's The Magic of Scheherazade, a fascinating hybrid game that combines action and RPG with astounding literalness. I don't know that this one works, either, but as with Rambo, it's damned interesting to witness. Production notes: Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Why watch when you can read? Check out the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works, available now at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books)! Look forward to SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I, due early 2024. NES footage captured from Analogue Nt Mini. Video upscaled to 720 with xRGB Mini Framemeister.