Gumshoe is a NES game made by Nintendo in 1986 that uses the Nintendo Zapper. It is one of the first games ever released for the NES outside of Japan that was not released for the Famicom in Japan. The reasons for this are unknown. The player must help Mr. Stevenson, a former detective, rescue his daughter Jennifer, who has been kidnapped by a mafia boss, King Dom. Jennifer is being held for ransom, and Mr. Stevenson must retrieve five Black Panther Diamonds within 24 hours.
The game takes place across four stages; City, Air, Sea, and Jungle. Each stage has a diamond positioned at some point along the way. The last diamon has been eaten by a monster named Zulie, which Mr. Stevenson must defeat in order to pay off King Dom and rescue his daughter. The game then repeats from the very beginning at a harder skill level.
Gumshoe features no saves or passwords and a limited number of lives. Stevenson will lose a life anytime he collides with an obstacle or falls down a pit, or runs out of time to complete the stage. It is difficult for Stevenson to reach Zulie, let alone defeat him unless he is able to drink a potion from a Lucky Bird and preserve its abilities for his battle with the monster. Players must not only keep Stevenson alive, but must also monitor the number of bullets remaining throughout the course of the game.
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European box
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Title screen
Gameplay
Mr. Stevenson walks continuously to the right. In order to jump over obstacles or pits, or to reach higher pathways, the player must shoot at Mr. Stevenson. He can jump multiple times in midair if you continue to shoot him. You must also shoot any enemy that threatens to collide with Mr. Stevenson. The world is laid out like a platformer, reminiscent of the Super Mario Bros. series, but the path along the stages are non-linear. Stages changes depending on the route the player has Mr. Stevenson take (upper or lower). Some paths are longer than others.
Shooting Mr. Stevenson to make him jump will not subtract from the player's ammunition. Shooting obstacles, or an empty area, however, will subtract one bullet from the total. Having Mr. Stevenson grab red balloons will add three bullets. Lucky Birds fly above Mr. Stevenson. Shooting the birds reveals either a roast chicken (collected for bonus points) or a power-up (most likely a Power Drink). If Mr. Stevenson catches them, he gains special abilities, signified by the color of his trenchcoat. For example, if Mr. Stevenson's trenchcoat has changed to pink, he can absorb one hit and survive.
The Lucky Bird
Only roughly 8 Lucky Birds appear in the game. 5 of them appear on the first level and they reveal either Power Drinks or roast chickens when shot. The Helmet appears on the second level. The Super Shoes or another Power Drink appear on the third level. Sometimes, a Power Drink appears on the fourth level. If Stevenson bumps into the Lucky Bird, he dies.
| Lucky Bird item | Description |
|---|---|
| Roast Chicken | When Stevenson eats this, 200 points are earned. |
| Power Drink | When Stevenson drinks this, he is energized until he hits an obstacle. He turns pink allowing one free hit. If he drinks 5 Power Drinks, he becomes green allowing 5 free hits. To win, it is very helpful if Stevenson can become green on the first level. |
| Helmet | When Stevenson wears this, it increases his power of resistance against Falling Rocks and Time Bomb attacks. |
| Super Shoes | When Steveson wears these, he cannot be harmed by some skulls. |