Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True
Encyclopedia
Déjà Vu is a "point-and-click" adventure game
set in the world of 1940s hard-boiled detective novels and movies. It was released in 1985 for Macintosh – the first in the MacVenture
series – and later ported
to several other systems. It was also released on Commodore Amiga and featured more sophisticated graphics in 1985-87.
The game takes place in Chicago during December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor
. The game character is Theodore "Ace" Harding, a retired boxer working as a private eye
.
The player awakes one morning in a bathroom stall, unable to remember who he is. The bathroom stall turns out to be in Joe's Bar. A dead man is found in an upstairs office, and Ace is about to be framed for the murder. There are some clues as to the identity of the murdered man and to the player himself. A strap-down chair, mysterious vials, and a syringe are found, suggesting (together with a needle mark on the player's arm) that some kind of elaborate torture has taken place.
The streets of early 1940s Chicago are an unsafe place for a man with no memory. There are muggers, an old acquaintance with a grudge, not to mention the police. Here, the player's history as a boxer is a much more valuable asset than the smoking gun picked up in the game's beginning. Using addresses found around Joe's bar, Ace is able to make taxi rides to a few locations, including his office. A story unravels of a kidnapping in which Ace has played some part, but his memory lacks important details.
Ace's memory and mental condition get progressively worse, but eventually he is able to obtain an antidote to the drug that caused the memory loss. His recurring flashbacks now become filled with information. The police are still on his back, but with this new information the player is better able to evaluate the evidence and take action accordingly.
This game and its sequel, Deja Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas
, require significant lateral thinking
. Some situations are based in common detective techniques, while others require simple violence. Overall, they are more logically disposed than the two other MacVentures titles (Uninvited
and Shadowgate
), because there are no supernatural events involved.
Déjà Vu was the first game to use ICOM's trademark MacVenture
interface and engine. It was awarded Software Publishers Association excellence in software awards in 1986 for Best Entertainment Product and Best New World, and inspired similar point-and-click games such as Maniac Mansion
from LucasArts
.
Numerous ports
were made, including versions for several home computer systems in 1987 and one for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1990. Versions of the game and its sequel containing new graphics and sound were released for Microsoft Windows
in the early 1990s, and later as a combined single-cartridge release for the Game Boy Color
(under the title Déjà Vu I & II). The GBC game is currently out of print.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
set in the world of 1940s hard-boiled detective novels and movies. It was released in 1985 for Macintosh – the first in the MacVenture
MacVenture
The MacVenture games is a series of four adventure games introducing a characteristic menu-based point-and-click interface. They were originally developed for the Apple Macintosh by ICOM Simulations:*Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True...
series – and later ported
Game port
The game port is a device port found on IBM PC compatible systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the traditional connector for joystick input devices until superseded by USB in the 21st century....
to several other systems. It was also released on Commodore Amiga and featured more sophisticated graphics in 1985-87.
Gameplay
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. The game character is Theodore "Ace" Harding, a retired boxer working as a private eye
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
.
The player awakes one morning in a bathroom stall, unable to remember who he is. The bathroom stall turns out to be in Joe's Bar. A dead man is found in an upstairs office, and Ace is about to be framed for the murder. There are some clues as to the identity of the murdered man and to the player himself. A strap-down chair, mysterious vials, and a syringe are found, suggesting (together with a needle mark on the player's arm) that some kind of elaborate torture has taken place.
The streets of early 1940s Chicago are an unsafe place for a man with no memory. There are muggers, an old acquaintance with a grudge, not to mention the police. Here, the player's history as a boxer is a much more valuable asset than the smoking gun picked up in the game's beginning. Using addresses found around Joe's bar, Ace is able to make taxi rides to a few locations, including his office. A story unravels of a kidnapping in which Ace has played some part, but his memory lacks important details.
Ace's memory and mental condition get progressively worse, but eventually he is able to obtain an antidote to the drug that caused the memory loss. His recurring flashbacks now become filled with information. The police are still on his back, but with this new information the player is better able to evaluate the evidence and take action accordingly.
This game and its sequel, Deja Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas
Deja Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas
Deja Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas is a point-and-click adventure game, the sequel to Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True, set in the world of 1940s hard-boiled detective novels and movies.It was the last game made in the MacVenture series.-Gameplay:...
, require significant lateral thinking
Lateral thinking
Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic...
. Some situations are based in common detective techniques, while others require simple violence. Overall, they are more logically disposed than the two other MacVentures titles (Uninvited
Uninvited (game)
Uninvited is a haunted house "point-and-click" adventure video game originally for the Apple Macintosh, released in 1986 by ICOM Simulations. The unnamed hero must find the way through an abandoned house in order to rescue a sibling...
and Shadowgate
Shadowgate
Shadowgate is a 1987 "point-and-click" adventure video game originally for the Apple Macintosh and is the most popular in the MacVenture series. It was also ported to the Atari ST home computer and was also released in 1989 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, where it garnered mild success. The...
), because there are no supernatural events involved.
Technology
MacVenture
The MacVenture games is a series of four adventure games introducing a characteristic menu-based point-and-click interface. They were originally developed for the Apple Macintosh by ICOM Simulations:*Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True...
interface and engine. It was awarded Software Publishers Association excellence in software awards in 1986 for Best Entertainment Product and Best New World, and inspired similar point-and-click games such as Maniac Mansion
Maniac Mansion
Maniac Mansion is a 1987 graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It was Lucasfilm's first published video game, and it was initially released for the Commodore 64 and Apple II. A comedy horror parody of B movies, it follows teenager Dave Miller as he ventures...
from LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
.
Numerous ports
Game port
The game port is a device port found on IBM PC compatible systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the traditional connector for joystick input devices until superseded by USB in the 21st century....
were made, including versions for several home computer systems in 1987 and one for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1990. Versions of the game and its sequel containing new graphics and sound were released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in the early 1990s, and later as a combined single-cartridge release for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
(under the title Déjà Vu I & II). The GBC game is currently out of print.
External links
- Deja Vu on the Amiga at The Hall of Light (HOL)