Cult Point And Click Adventure, Dark Seed, Now Has English-Language Sega Saturn Version
Game preservation takes many forms, but one aspect of it that’s quite popular is the salvaging of a game version from a defunct console. In this case, a keen preservationist known as kitchen34 has taken the Sega Saturn Japanese version of cult point and click horror Dark Seed, and managed to fully localize all text into English.
Dark Seed was released in 1992 for the Amiga, before being ported to Sega Saturn in 1995. It was renowned for being extremely punishing and for featuring artwork by H.R. Giger (Alien, Poltergeist II). Content-wise, the Sega Saturn version includes the same gameplay as other versions, but the music is different.
A Saturn-specific game trailer doesn’t exist, or at least not anymore, but the developers, Cyberdreams, did release a general trailer that highlights the main story and (for its time) unique selling points.
A Nightmare World
Players control Mike Dawson, who moves into a secluded mansion to focus on his writing. However, he soon discovers a malevolent alien race has implanted the titular Dark Seed in his head. Worse, it’ll kill him in three days and be born into a world-destroying threat if he can’t figure out a way to stop it.
In terms of the art, H.R. Giger is best known for his contributions to the Alien series of movies. Dark Seed features his trademark bio-mechanical style as Dawson occasionally finds himself transported to a nightmare world that closely resembles the real one; an idea that would feature prominently in many video games afterwards, most notably the original Silent Hill from 1999.
Dark Seed also did something a little different from other point and click titles, in that the player can only do certain things at certain times, according to other character’s schedules. They must also carry out normal actions on a regular basis, like bathing, to ensure they’re not in such a state that other people won’t talk to them.
Failing to follow these rules meant that it was entirely possible for players to fail the game by missing out items or clues, to such an extent that even modern day gamers may need to use a walkthrough to realise what to do.
The Console Version
Dark Seed was also released on Mac, Amiga CD32, Windows 95, and PS1. All of these, except the PS1 version, appeared before it was released on the Saturn. Although it was presented on Amiga in an, at the time, impressive 640×350 resolution, the Saturn version didn’t make any enhancements or changes to the graphics.
The game was originally set to appear on the Sega Mega-CD (known as just the Sega CD in the US), which was an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis that let users play normal CDs, Sega CDs, and CD+G (like the ones used in karaoke machines). It received reviews and print ads, but never actually made it to retail.
Reddit users have followed the news of the English localization of the Saturn version with reports that the game can be played with the Sega Saturn mouse. Although chances are most gamers will take a crack at loading this version up in an emulator (and users have said it works fine), it’s still worth noting that other versions exist for non-Saturn emulators, but they’re apparently tricky to get working properly.
