The 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I from Zojoi and Abstraction Games is a cool compilation of three old-school NES adventure games. Learn more in our 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I review!

 

Are you an adventure game fan? Did you own an NES back in the day? Then you probably got a chance to play one, two or all three of the games included in the 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I! This compilation brings to the PlayStation 4 solid ports of three adventure classics: Shadowgate, The Uninvited, and Déjà Vu. Each game is a stand-alone adventure you can dive into for hours of fun, and you can even play one for a bit, save, quit to the main menu, and start another game or carry on with a pending adventure.

All three games in the anthology are controlled with the D-Pad and the left analog stick which move the corresponding cursor on the screen. The D-Pad makes it snap towards the available options for moving or taking action, while the analog stick allows you to freely move the cursor around. The X button is used for making a selection, while the Triangle button activates hints. You can also use the touchpad on the DualShock 4 to move the cursor around, and pressing on the touchpad will perform the same action as the X button – just be ready for how the touchpad moves the cursor like a hyperactive wireless mouse.

The three games share a list of commands you can use to interact with each area and the items you find. These commands are Look, Open, Use, Leave, Take, Close, Hit and Speak. You can also use them along with another command called Self (which is self-explanatory). There’s a small map, on the lower part of the screen, in which you can select the Move command along with a square that represents the direction you want to move in – an open door, a waterfall with a hidden entrance, a passage you recently opened after pulling a torch or pushing a block, a ladder that leads to an upper or lower level.

Shadowgate is presented in a mythical setting ripe for adventuring, with trolls, dragons, skeletons, Cyclops, gargoyles and a shark. You’ll explore caverns, waterfalls, towers, catacombs and more, in a not as colorful but still solid and charming setting. The Uninvited has more of a supernatural vibe, with ghosts and the fear of the unknown in the spooky setting extraordinaire – an old and seemingly abandoned mansion out in the middle of nowhere. And then there’s Déjà Vu, a film noir adventure in which you are placed in the shoes of a private eye who is suffering from amnesia and who finds himself being framed for murder – can you manage to find what is really going on before it is too late?

The 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I features video options you can switch around for your convenience. The game’s scaling is available in integer 1:1, integer 4:3, stretch 1:1 and stretch 4:3. Then you have filters for the game’s look, with CRT, old TV, grainy black and white, and a weird greenish hue. By combining the scaling options and the filter options, I’m sure you can find the perfect way to play through this collection – a clean presentation or a grainy one that curves the image a bit for that old-school nostalgia feel.

Each of the games in the anthology features six trophies for you to unlock, each tied to reaching a specific death scene. This list basically rewards players for making mistakes and dying in Shadowgate, Déjà Vu and The Uninvited, which is an interesting twist on how most games handle trophies on PlayStation 4. I was expecting trophies for finding specific items or for completing each game, but that’s not the case here! Since the anthology features three full-fledged games, I figured it would have a Platinum trophy, but it, unfortunately, doesn’t – it’s not a deal-breaker but something you probably should know.

The 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I is a great way to experience this trio of games if you never had the chance, or if you played them back in the day and want to take them for a new spin. Three adventure classics for only $7.99, with filters and aspect ratio options as well as PS4 trophies to unlock, is definitely a solid option for fans of the genre, so be sure to pick this one up today so that we can get a Volume 2 soon!

Disclaimer
This 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Abstraction Games.