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Welcome to the 39th issue of the GBAtemp Recommends Revival Project! This project is a weekly feature where we share our favorite games and applications with you. The things we recommend may be "old school" titles, a Homebrew, a ROM hack, sleeper hits, an application, etc, but one thing's for certain, we think they are fantastic and deserve your attention!

GBAtemp Recommends!

Tombs & Treasure (NES)​

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Tombs & Treasure was released for the NES in 1989 by Infocom. As a Japanese game released for multiple systems, Infocom's goal was to Westernize the game. Changes included more story-based gameplay, RPG-like elements, and an updated musical score. What inevitably became their only console release, Tombs & Treasure for the NES was also the first English language port of the game.

The game takes place in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, where it was rumored that among the ruins Professor Imes, a renowned archeologist, has discovered the Sun Key, a device capable of unlocking the greatest Mayan secrets. A Young man and the daughter of the professor, months after the professor and his team went missing, have come to the Yucatán Peninsula in search of clues. What unfolds is a story-based RPG-like adventure game rooted in puzzle solving and point-and-click experiences.

The gameplay is centered around puzzle solving, while greatly relying on item collecting, exploration, and various RPG-like elements. Throughout the main overworld the party moves in traditional 8-bit RPG fashion, in a singular line, between different points of interest. Once a building or temple is entered the game shifts into a first-person-perspective with a point-and-click icon based display. Here the player can interact with various items through key control options such as go, push, look, etc. The game also features some turn-based combat situations accomplished via the “fight” command. There is no way to heal during fights and as such they act as gateways to character progression. If the fight is too difficult to win then it becomes obvious to the player that they need to backtrack and explore other areas of the game. While doing so the characters can level-up via a point-progression system linked directly to solving puzzles and surviving fights.

Tombs & Treasure was a unique game for its time, successfully combining many gaming elements into a story-driven RPG-like experience. The Mayan culture and its mythology were handled with care through a mixture of factual locations and fantasy adventure. If you enjoy fantasy settings, mythology, adventure, point-and-click experiences or RPG-like elements then give this game a try. Be sure to track down the overworld map and the professor's diary to aid you on your adventure.

Genre: Adventure Role-playing
Type: Retail
Release Date: 1989
Developed by: Nihon Falcom
Published by: Infocom
Composer: Takahito Abe
System: NES

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Official GBAtemp Recommends! Mini-Page & History

 

i never found the game to be very difficult, it was just one of those games that required you to take notes, explore, make maps, and try different things. all-in-all it is one of the more memorable moments on the NES, at least for me. the game also has a bit of a cult following. when you meet someone who has enjoyed the game they will talk about it very passionately.

-another world

 

yeah, there were a few games that used those crazy annoyingly long passwords. emulators and save states are probably the way to go with this game.

-another world