Deja Vu - Ways to Die & Ending

Most, if not all, of the ways Ace Harding can end up dead or in prison, including the variant bad endings when you go to the police at various points in your investigation. The ending depends on you 1) finding the antidote to your memory loss, 2) ditching Gun 1, 3) finding three pieces of evidence proving who did it, and 4) destroying fake evidence that points to you. You cannot ditch Gun1 until you use it or another gun in three places: First to shoot the lock off at Vicker's bungalow, second for the cabinet in the doctor's office, and lastly to shoot the hitman inside your office.

Unlike the PC version, there is no time limit for finding the antidote as instead you'll simply black out and reach a game over if you enter your office before curing yourself. However, the NES version has higher requirements for finishing the game (with the Macventure version it's possible to finish the game in slightly over two minutes).

As there are two taxis, the other taxi driver has a slightly different comment when you try to leave without paying but the outcome is the same. Likewise, shooting Sternwood has the exact same outcome (and identical text) to shooting Vickers.

0:00 Deaths
7:07 Arrests
14:19 Visiting the Police before Curing Yourself
14:53 Visiting the Police after Curing Yourself while Holding Gun1.
15:47 Ditched Gun1, but No Evidence and Didn't Destroy Fake Evidence
16:45 No Evidence but Destroyed the Fake Evidence
17:38 Evidence Found but Didn't Destroy Fake Evidence
18:42 Ending

It seemed a good time to replay and upload these with the Beyond Shadowgate Kickstarter being live.

My Social Media Stuff:

#dejavu

[chocobro]

Bro thanks for taking us back to the 8 bit days. This stuff scared the pants off me when I was a youngster. Good stuff!

[andrewps]

The sarcasm in this game is hilarious especially when you're hit with three consecutive life sentences!

[Mordecrox]

Huh, for a game without apparent at first supernatural elements there's an actual brain death thrown in there with a nonstandard message. Neat.

[PrsacK]

Such a good trip down memory lane. For some reason we had this game for NES when I was a kid. I always played it but never really understood what was going on. Years later I finally beat it and I remember feeling so proud of myself for not using any guides.

[commanderproton]

Recently got done playing through this version on an emulator. It's a pretty decent port, like most of the MacVenture games. I feel at this point, more people know them via their NES ports then original PC versions (especially for Shadowgate). I know an NES port of Deja Vu II was planned, but scrapped.

There's quite a few differences in the NES version compared to PC, mainly from censorship and a few other details. Actually, this is censored from the original Japanese famicom version, as this port was made by a Japanese developer, likely due to Nintendo NA's policies at the time. Besides some graphical facelifts, changes include:

1) Removing the blood from Siegel's desk
2) Recolored the blood from shooting the Alligator from red to black
3) Changing the syringe to medical capsules
4) The death screen featured a skull with the words "REST IN PEACE". This was changed to the gravestone, which has the side effect of the spoiling the MC's name if you haven't figured it out already.

In terms of changes already present, a lot of them were to streamline gameplay, make things easier, or necessary changes for the hardware. There were also censorship changes present in both Famicom and NES.

1) As mentioned in the description, the time limit from the PC game was removed. I don't know how long it was, but they probably wanted to avoid an unwinnable. I'm told that the forced death at Ace's office if you haven't cured him yet in the NES version is in PC, but it happens in one of the rooms in the Sternwood Mansion instead. They probably wanted to avoid the player making too much progress without curing Ace, and decided to move it to an earlier point in the game rather than late game. Additionally, some of the messages that popped up while Ace's memory gets worse are in NES, but happen at scripted points instead. (The two I remember are in the hallway with Ace's boxing photo and I think the other one was in the Doctor's office, but can't recall funnily enough)

2) The game is a lot easier to achieve the win state, because of a change made to dumping inventory. The PC version pretty much lets you dump anything in the sewer. The NES version changes it so any items important/you still need the game will prevent you from tossing, basically saying you might need it later. So if you aren't sure what to drop in the sewer, just go through every item. If it let's you, you didn't need it or it was the fake evidence against you. If it stays, then you either need it to prove your innocence or it's just something you might need (such as the $20 in case you run into the muggers)

3) You can only hit the gun mugger 3 times, instead of 4.

4) I believe the bum was one of the few arrests where shooting someone was changed so they survive.

5) Despite the syringe being changed to capsules, they still reference Ace being injected at the beginning, likely cause there would be no indication of him being drugged otherwise. Capsules are also kinda silly since you need special equipment to put meds in them.

6) References to Sugar Shack being a hooker were removed.

7) Cigs changed to gum, alcohol changed to seltzer water.

8) Ace's memories, except for his dog was censored. Father O'Malley beating him is gone they just reference him. Suzy Q is simply referenced as being Ace's first kiss, but the rest of it was removed.

9) Ace's role in the whole kidnapping scheme and "motive" created by Sternwood and Vickers is heavily altered. References to Joey being connected to the mob are gone. Originally, the reason why Ace stopped being a boxer was because Joey was having the mob fix his matches, which ruined his career. With that gone, we are only to assume the bad blood between the two was Joey was a dick. Additionally, their is the IOU in Joey's safe that was written by Ace about how he owes Joey money. In the PC version, it's established the Ace was in debt to Joey cause iirc, gambling. This all ties as together as his "motive" to kill Joey. In the NES version, examining the IOU will have Ace remark afterwards that he doesn't remember ever writting this IOU, which implies it's fake and is being planted to tie him to the crime. This all make Ace's apparent motive to want to kill Joey a lot weaker in the NES version. It also explains why there is a even a mob man after Ace in the first place.
Additionally, it's more explicit in the PC version that Ace was being the middleman in the kidnapping scheme to help get rid of his debts. In NES, it seems more to only be an implied thing.
I can only guess these changes were made to make Ace's more heroic, while the PC version can come across more ambigious whether Ace is a good guy or if he did have a role in Siegel's death.

10) The PC version had a mechanic where the police would wander around and could just arrest you, giving you a Game Over. That is unless you've achieved all you needed to win, then you'll just be taken to the Good Ending. The NES and GBC versions both remove this, but the Newspaper boy still references police searching around for Ace.

11) You could look at the exit to the Construction site, for a slight warning, but can't in NES.

12) Not related to NES, but I found this Death guide on GameFaqs. At the end, they talk about a death they once experienced in the PC version (doesn't seem to be in NES) that involved them using the elevator at Joey's bar. Pressing the button to enter the sewers while on the highest floor killed them via a long drop. They could never replicate it, and they later write people messaged them saying they also remember having that happen, but couldn't replicate it either. Maybe worth looking into on PC and maybe it only exists in the original Mac version? Who knows?

There's probably more, but I only have so much on hand information. Still, I recommend Deja Vu. The NES or GBC ports are probably the best versions in spite of their censorship, mainly for making things a bit easier on the player. Plus the music is pretty good! It's also probably the easiest of the Macventure games to complete, if I'm being real.

[coolnut]

And you thought Shadowgate or Uninvited was full of evil. There is so much evil you wonder why Ace doesn't get revenge and blow away the MANY MANY monsters that want you in prison or dead.

[johnyu]

Game Over List Part 1:
0:00 Shoot yourself with a gun
0:44 Attempting to give ALL your money to mugger
1:14 Trying to shoot mugger with your gun
1:30 Trying to run away from a mugger
1:44 Trying to punch a mugger in his face
2:25 The sewer alligator eaten you alive
2:55 Attempting to shoot a clerk in a store with you gun
3:18 A woman shooting with a gun from her purse
4:09 Pressing a "Self Destruct" button in a car
4:38 Using a key into the wrong engine keyhole
5:09 Using drugs and medicine on yourself to kill yourself
5:41 Fell into the deep construction pit
5:57 Ambushed by a guy with a gun after unlocking the door
6:30 Getting a severe headache and dropped out

[velocilevon]

That construction death though. Most blatant beginner's trap, literally zero ways of seeing it coming, and it punishes the player for basically nothing lol. They could've easily made the police station the last screen in that location, either go inside or turn around, but nope, had to put in at least one "stepped on a banana peel so now you die for no reason" death xD.

Never really understood how Ace managed to completely avoid the trouble in the ending. Yeah, Vickers and Sternwood are found guilty for their crimes, it's all fine and dandy, but didn't we basically have to commit assault on the butler by knocking him out and then entering the house *uninvited*? I also wonder how Ace managed to explain collecting the evidence, especially the diary. I'm all fine with protagonist getting a relatively happy ending (especially considering he's gonna be in a pinch again in the sequel), but just found this part kinda confusing and strange.

[susanpereyeibo]

Be careful this is your death wish you're attracting

[Browncurse]

I love how you did it all with in game audio only. I couldnt find the office death without someone talking before

Question will you also be doing the gbc version of deja vu 2? I. Havent seeen the explosive homeless in that one

[jthornton]

I used to play this game back then. Good times. Also can you do these in GBC version?

[fgfhjfhjfbhfghf]

First time hearing about this game, I don't understand the context for the last death? It looks like it just comes out of nowhere with no warning. Is it a failsafe or something?

[thesnare]

What about trying to punch the thug at 7:08 doesn't that get you killed too? Ace Harding is a boxer, so I'd think he's have a decent chance, or some chance against him though.