I've always loved searching for hidden treasure and secret passages in videogames. Anyone who spent hours using their candle on every bush in the Legend of Zelda or bombing hundreds of suspicious looking tiles in Metroid knows just how thrilling the hunt for secrets could be back in the NES days. Needless to say, it would be a travesty to give this project the title NEStalgia without including these types of secrets!


Notice the out-of-place wall?


Oh snap!

Taking a page from the FF3 NES playbook, false walls and hidden passages play a major role in NEStalgia. Early in the game anyone with a sharp eye can spot these false walls... but later areas will require trial-by-error.


While in town I spot a treasure chest. After searching for a way to get to it, I discover some "fake trees" and walk through them to claim my prize!

Talking to every single towns person that you come across is important for two reasons, 1.) They may have a quest for you to take on, and 2.) They will occasionally drop hints/clues about potential secrets. Does anyone remember playing through Who Framed Roger Rabbit (NES) where at one point a character tells you to call a real phone number for more information? While I'm certainly not going to be giving out my cell phone number, you'll definitely want to pay close attention every scrap of text and dialogue that you can find.



In terms of development news, I'm happy to report that NEStalgia is coming along very well. Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like tenkuu and the rest of the private testing team, NEStalgia is on the fast track to completion, and you'll be treated to balanced, bug-free game from day one.