View source for 8 Eyes

{{Short description|1988 video game for NES}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = 8 Eyes
| image = 8 eyes front.jpg
| caption = North American cover art
| developer = [[Thinking Rabbit]]
| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|[[SETA Corporation|SETA]]|NA|[[Taxan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/japanese-game-dev-kaga-create-formerly-naxat-soft-dissolved|title = Japanese game dev Kaga Create, formerly Naxat Soft, dissolved|date = 5 January 2016}}</ref>}}
| designer = Hideki Shimura
| composer = Kenzou Kumei
| programmer = Hiroto Nakamura
| director = Tōru Ishikawa
| released = '''NES'''{{vgrelease|JP|{{Start date|1988|9|27}}|NA|January 1990 }}'''Windows'''{{vgrelease|WW|{{Start date|2019|8|14}} }}'''Evercade'''{{vgrelease|EU|{{Start date|2020|5|22}} }}
| genre = [[Platform game|Platform]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] <br /> [[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Windows]], [[Evercade]]
| producer = Hiroyuki Imabayashi
}}

{{nihongo|'''''8 Eyes'''''|エイト・アイズ|Eito Aizu}} is a [[action game|2D action]] [[platform game]] developed by [[Thinking Rabbit]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] in 1988. The game features eight levels, and can be played by one or two players. It also features a large, diverse soundtrack, composed by Kenzou Kumei, consisting of three pieces for each of the eight levels, which are set in different parts of the world.

[[Piko Interactive]] acquired the rights to ''8 Eyes'' and released it for [[Microsoft Windows]] via [[Steam (service)|Steam]] on August 14, 2019. ''8 Eyes'' is also included on the [[Evercade]] as part of ''Piko Interactive Collection 1'', released on May 22, 2020.

==Story==
[[File:8 Eyes (video game - screenshot).png|200px|left|thumbnail|''8 Eyes'' in-game screenshot]]
===English version===
''8 Eyes'' is set in a [[post-apocalyptic]] future. Mankind is recovering from hundreds of years of chaos and [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]], and civilization is being rebuilt by the Great King, who harnesses the power of eight [[Gemstone|jewels]]. The jewels, known as the 8 Eyes, were formed at the centers of eight [[nuclear explosion]]s that came close to destroying Earth. The 8 Eyes have mysterious power which, in the wrong hands, could bring about the [[Eschatology|end of the world]]. The Great King's eight power-hungry [[duke]]s steal the jewels for themselves and banish the King to the nuclear wastelands, threatening to once again plunge the Earth into war.

The player controls Orin the [[Falconry|Falconer]] and his fighting [[falcon]] Cutrus. His mission is to infiltrate the Dukes' eight castles and retrieve the 8 Eyes. With the help of Cutrus, Orin must fight the Dukes' soldiers, nuclear [[Mutants in fiction|mutant]]s, and the duke of each castle to retrieve the jewels. After the jewels have been recovered, Orin must return them to the Altar of Peace so that the Great King may return and finish rebuilding the Earth.

===Japanese version===
The Japanese version of the game is set in the [[Balkans]] in the late 19th century.  The [[Ottoman Empire]], which had barely survived due to the power balance among the great European powers, was beginning to feel the [[Decline and modernization of the Ottoman Empire|shadow of its survival]]. The seeds of [[Armenia-Turkey relations|various conflicts]], which had been so densely packed that it was called the "[[Powder keg of Europe|Powder Keg of the Balkans]]," were now igniting all at once. [[Terrorism]] and assassinations of important people by the Free [[Armenia]]n Army were already commonplace. With the dignity of the government in turmoil and pessimistic rumors and speculation abound, an incident occurred that made restoring public order the most urgent task for the [[British Empire]], which had Ottoman [[Turkey]] as its protectorate. 

A research team was sent by the [[British Museum]] to [[Archeology|investigate some newly discovered ruins]]. However, the entire team was brutally slaughtered, with their [[Decapitation|heads missing]] and their [[Disembowelment|stomachs cut open]]. All of the artifacts they uncovered and their excavation journals were stolen.

The perpetrator of the murders was a [[Cult|group]] led by Ruth Grandier, a female [[Banditry|bandit]] known for her [[demon]]ic [[worship]] who claimed that she and her group were fallen children of [[Lucifer]]. The [[College of Arms]] learned that Ruth's group stole artifacts which concealed demonic secrets and could be used in a dark [[ritual]] to [[Resurrection|resurrect]] demons.

To stop Ruth, the College of Arms Seventh Division (which would eventually become the [[MI5]]) decided to send [[Baronet]] Sir Julian [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]], the greatest [[Swordsmanship|swordsman]] in all of England. Sir Bond infiltrated the Balkans along with his pet [[eagle]], Cutlass.

==Gameplay==
The game consists of eight levels, each set in the castle of one of the dukes. At the completion of each level, Orin receives a new [[sword]]. The player can choose to play each of the first seven castles in any order, though the boss at the end of each is vulnerable to only one sword.  It is therefore easier to play levels in a particular order. There are hints about the correct order hidden throughout the game. Only after each has been completed can the House of Ruth be played.

After the House of Ruth has been cleared and the 8 Eyes recovered, the player must return the jewels to the Altar of Peace. At this point the jewels must be placed in a particular order, or the game is lost. Hints about the order of the jewels are also hidden throughout the game.

''8 Eyes'' features a cooperative mode in which one player controls Orin and the other player controls Cutrus. In the single-player mode, the player has limited control of both characters simultaneously; this significantly increases the difficulty of the game. The gameplay and graphical style are noticeably similar to ''[[Castlevania]]''.

==Reception==
''8 Eyes'' received mediocre reviews upon its release. ''[[PC PowerPlay|Power Play]]'' gave the game a 60/100.<ref>''Power Play'', January 1990</ref> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' scored ''8 Eyes'' 23/40.<ref>''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', March 1990</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{moby game|id=/8-eyes|name=''8 Eyes''}}

[[Category:1988 video games]]
[[Category:Action-adventure games]]
[[Category:Asymmetrical multiplayer video games]]
[[Category:Gothic video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Piko Interactive games]]
[[Category:Post-apocalyptic video games]]
[[Category:Side-scrolling platformers]]
[[Category:Thinking Rabbit games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video games set in Africa]]
[[Category:Video games set in Egypt]]
[[Category:Video games set in Europe]]
[[Category:Video games set in Germany]]
[[Category:Video games set in India]]
[[Category:Video games set in Italy]]
[[Category:Video games set in Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Video games set in Spain]]