8 Eyes. The story of Orin and his pet bird, Cutrus. Or as I call the game, A boy and his falcon.  Its like taking the some of the worst bits of Castlevania; the slow staircase walk, the stilted jumping, the knock back from enemies, and then adding even more hardships. Removing the iconic whip and replacing it.. with the lamest sword since Deadly Towers. But it does add some interesting new twists that make it stand out; like a strange post-apocalyptic setting, MegaMan style bosses and stage select, and the very unique 2 player mode. Lets go into a bit of detail. You start the game as Orin, and get to choose a castle.  Killing a boss will power up your sword, allowing you kill one boss who guards the gem of that color.  If you have a friend, they get to control your pet bird, otherwise you get limited control of it in one player. The bird actually can be pretty powerful, with the double-edged sword of having the most freedom of movement but limited in what it can do.

Graphics: 4 
Lets be frank. 8 Eyes is not going to win any beauty contests. Some sprites are done alright, such as most of the enemies, the initial outside of the castles, and your falcon is fairly well detailed and animated considering how small it is. One enemy throws playing cards at you, and they realistically flutter around. These details are pretty good. But then there are some graphics that are just poor choices or just make no sense, like the garish paint palette of many of the castles with bright, ugly walls. And unfortunately all the stages are castles, and most look out of place. Another odd decision was some of the enemies are very out of place, such as the jawa enemy that would like right at home in Star Wars.  Orin's sword is probably the most offensive graphic, as it looks like a pipe cleaner - I mean this is the main character! When a common enemy has a big scimitar sword, and you have a wimpy twig that doesn't reach as far or even look sharp, its ridiculous.

The good: Some details are nice - the falcon, most enemies. Castles are large, all unique and have lots of rooms.
The bad: Really weird choice to have some pink or green buildings, the graphics don't quite show its a wasteland future, and Orin's sword is the most uninspiring drawn weapon. 


Sound: 7
Each castle features its own theme, both inside and outside. Given that you are only outside the castle for maybe less than a minute, right at the beginning - this is a nice, if unnecessary touch.  There is no sounds of pain in this game, both you and the enemies are silent, although a strange, shuddering noise plays when Orin or Cutrus are struck.  The sound effects for some of your sub-weapons are alright, some like the power ball seem to fit, while others like the gun sound weak. But there are some themes that almost catchy. I also liked there is a noise of your weight landing when you fall from a height.

The good: Some tunes are pretty good -The stage select, the boss music, and some of the castles are maybe almost great. I give an extra point for the boss music and title theme, they are probably the best and memorable. The shuddering sound for being hit is unusual, but interesting effect.
The bad: Some music is grating, and no sound effects when you are striking normal enemies - which is bad because most take several hits.


Addictiveness: 6
Despite its glaring flaws, the game is playable. Sometimes even enjoyable, as it bravely mixes MegaMan and Castlevania concepts, so I give it credit for being daring. One strong element they added is the hardiness of your character. When you die, its from being whittled down, and you will likely make it many screens into a castle if/before that happens.  You don't have to contend with a lot of instant death or one-hit kill enemies that are in other games. Also the last challenge isn't a fight, its a puzzle, which you find clues in the castles.  While your character has a crappy sword, he can take many hits, and your falcon buddy doesn't share the same life bar and is tough himself.  There is also the prospect of the 2nd quest, much like Legend of Zelda, replaying the game with more difficulty and some items moved. Its not an entirely new game, the stages are not redesigned, but it adds a bit of replay if you thought the game was too easy the first time.

The MegaMan aspect is interesting, but not well executed. Upon killing a boss, you will receive a power up, which the game doesn't make clear, but it shows you a pair of swords that have a different hue to them. Defeat Spain's boss for a Red sword, for instance. Now you have to find the Ruby boss (Egypt) to even use the power up. If you go to say, Arabia, and beat the boss there, now you get a new sword color, and have forever lost the red one!  There had to be a better way of cataloging these, or even adding the sword colors to the map select, so you can use them when you want, and this would allow bosses who have other color types that might cause slightly more damage, or less -adding some strategy to the game.

The good: being able to tackle the bosses in any order, the plentiful, hidden power ups - often one to each screen in the game! The ability to replay it with higher difficulties. 
The bad: Some of the castles are tough, from one that is a maze to a boss that is very hard to beat without the right sword power up from another previous boss. 

Story: 4
Honestly, the story's pretty muddled. Its set in a time when nuclear war has ravaged the world, and after hundreds of years of chaos - a "Great King" rebuilt the world with the power of 8 magic jewels (Dragon Balls? Wait, wrong story). Each jewel is a different color, and guarded by a Duke, who banished the king to a mysterious place. You are supposed to get the gems back, and use them to open the magic portal to where the Great King can be brought back.  While this sounds OK, none of that really shows in the game. The castles are odd, as this future has guns, and nuclear bombs.. but they all live in castles. Some of the enemies might be explained by the fallout, but some, just no. 

The good: The concept is crazy, but it kind of allows some leeway - maybe the radiation makes the castle walls neon? The idea to bring the king back by using jewels adds some mystery and magic elements to this game.
The bad: The back story doesn't quite match what you see on screen. It looks like they were going to make a medieval-period game and then tried to change the plot, add some guns and modern things near the end. It feels tacked on.


Depth: 6
Being able to control the hunter AND the falcon is the best element of depth, and done fairly well. The one player can only get the bird to fly as high as he can jump, so you end up using the stairs and things to add height. From there you can attack with the bird with a simple down arrow and attack. You can have both characters attack at the same time, so it doesn't get in your way.
The second player adds a lot to the game, in way of finding the secrets and having a larger presence on dealing with enemy threats. You can soar as high or low as you want. The limits are the diving nature of the attack is the only thing you can do besides landing on the main player's shoulder.
The replay of the different stages, taking on different orders, is a really nice touch. Being able to have some sub-weapons is also nice, the ice ball is quite fun, and none feel like a rip-off of Castlevania. Probably the best fact is there are so many hidden items, from life extensions, to life refills, to notes about the final puzzle. There is a lot to find and if you miss some of the important ones, its not terrible, but you will be hampered. The fact you seem to be rescuing not just the king, but the Dukes themselves, adds some other element to the story. Are they being brainwashed? The mysterious House of Ruth in the middle beckons, but you must defeat all other bosses to go there, and I was surprised by the character design there, but not as much as I was with the King. There are some surprises in this game!

The good: Adding 2nd player is very novel and well done. Being able to replay stages and add difficulty with the 2nd and 3rd quest. The puzzle element in the end adds some complexity.
The bad: One player will always be handicapped in the ability of the bird, but its better than not using it at all. Many secrets are hidden just where the falcon can access, between walls. The "King" really made me question what this world was all about, and raised a lot of questions in my head.


Difficulty: 6
Due to two-player activity, I felt it was only fair to rate between the difficulty of single and two-player modes. Single is a 7 - when its at its hardest. With a 2nd player, this game is probably a 5, or maybe even a 4 if you've got a good player at the controls. The hawk is able to die, and while he doesn't come back for the duration of the stage, this sacrifice allows Orin to continue on. If Orin dies first, the falcon cannot continue without him. Some of the bosses are difficult, some are easy. Some of the enemies are weaker to bird attacks.

The good: Being able to work together makes this a good team-oriented NES game.
The bad: Having some enemies who can only be hurt by the bird of prey or special weapons puts the human player at a disadvantage if Cutrus is dead. I wish there was more for the hawk to do besides dive bomb. Given this game shows element of magic spells, I wish the bird had a bit more to do.

Overall, 8 Eyes is a quirky, but fun game, if you can overlook its many failings. At least it dares to be different. If you wanted to try a different type of game and love old-school Castlevania, this is probably a good game to check out.