Nightshade (1985 video game)
Nightshade is an action video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game. It was first released for the ZX Spectrum in 1985, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC and BBC Micro later that year. It was also ported to the MSX exclusively in Japan in 1986. In the game, the player assumes the role of a knight who sets out to destroy four demons in a plague-infested village. The game features scrolling isometric gameplay, an improvement over its flip-screen-driven predecessors, Knight Lore and Alien 8, all thanks to an enhanced version of the Ultimate Play the Game's Filmation game engine, branded Filmation II. The game received positive reviews upon release; critics praised its gameplay traits, graphics and colours, however one critic was divided over its perceived similarities to its predecessors. Gameplay The game is presented in an isometric format. The player assumes the role of a knight who enters the plague-infested village of Nightshade to vanquish four demons who reside within. Additionally, all residents from the village have been transformed into vampires and other supernatural creatures. Contact with these monsters infects the knight, with repeated contact turning the character from white to yellow and then to