“What the heck is Palamedes?”
That’s often the reaction I get when I mention this game, and I get it. It’s not a recognizable game. It’s uncommon, but cheap. It was published by Hot-B, a company better known for its fishing games. Very few people talk about it. Heck, I would’ve missed out on it had I not been looking for cheap NES games while working at FuncoLand in 1999.
Palamedes is a puzzle game that challenges players to eliminate lines by capturing dice to make scoring combinations similar to Yahtzee. Easier combinations, like two pairs or small sequences, eliminate fewer lines while more difficult combinations like five/six of a kind or a six-number consecutive sequence remove more lines. These lines gradually pick up downward speed as levels increase, and it becomes a real challenge of speed and strategy over time to move on.
The game isn’t perfect by any means. There’s not a ton of depth in terms of gameplay modes outside of the main game and a Tournament mode. Progression is a bit slow, as the challenge really doesn’t build until after Level 10 or so. The graphics are a bit simple, and the sound can get repetitive.
That said… there’s something about Palamedes that keeps me coming back, and it’s why I targeted the game quickly when I started rebuilding my NES library back in April. It is a very approachable game with play mechanics that clicked pretty quickly for me the first time I played it. It’s a fun score-chasing game, owing to its coin-op roots, and I’m always interested in seeing if I can beat my personal best score. It would be nice if there was a battery to save high scores, but it’s easy enough to write scores down or take photos and log scores in one of my video game collection applications. The music isn’t varied, but the music that’s here always brings back memories of playing this back in 1999. It makes me feel younger– and, as I careen through my mid-50s, feeling younger is important.
Palamedes requires quick planning and thinking. Knowing how many lines a combination clears can determine when you lock in that combo… and doing it too soon defeats the purpose of pulling off big combinations. A 1-2-3-4-5-6 ordered sequence removes 5 lines, but only if there are 5 lines on the screen to clear. In later levels, when the dropdown speed increases, it becomes necessary to execute combos quickly and sometimes take lower-value ones to keep the lowering lines at bay.
Tetris has some strategy in knowing where to guide the currently falling piece while planning where the next piece shown will go. Palamedes requires strategy in that players must quickly scan the lines for the strongest potential combos and strategize how to make them happen. Do you see a bunch of the same value? Can you put together five or six of that value in a row? Maybe you see a bunch of different values. Can you put 1 through 6 in sequential order without other dice in the way? Maybe there are smaller sequences to craft? The ability to scan dice faster and execute strategy quicker comes with practice. That’s an addictive quality to me.
Palamedes is part of The Ones because I find it addictive and entertaining. Sessions of play aren’t that long, and its arcade pedigree means that it’s all about score and less about time. It’s enjoyable for me to revisit every so often, and I consider it to be a “hidden gem”. Maybe it can make your list of The Ones, too– it’s around $15 or so on average for a loose cart, so it won’t break the bank.
If you play it, I’d love to hear your own impressions. My socials are always open, or you can comment here.
Pete's Perspective 
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