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.