Taboo is a tarot card simulation game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. This is an interesting concept for a game because reading tarot cards is generally a matter of interpretation by the person who can read it. While the concept is interesting, while accomplishing what it aims to do, execution is inadequate in some categories.
First off, this game doesn't have any real gameplay to speak of. The whole game consists of you entering your name, your date of birth and your gender and then your question. The game then shows you an animation of cards being shuffled and places ten cards on the screen.
It then goes through the cards in a specific order, showing you the card and explaining how to read it one by one. After reading, you choose which state you live in and the game will show you your lucky numbers. This is the scope of the game.
While it's a good representation of the way a tarot card is read, if you convert it into a game format, it makes for a very short game. Now you can go through the process again and ask another question, but the replay value of this game is very limited unless you plan your life based on tarot card readings.
Graphics are limited as no real action takes place. What graphics are included in the game are adequate and get the job done, but nothing great, even for one NES-Game. The sound follows the same pattern here, it works for the game but nothing spectacular. While the game itself may feel limited, the game manual contains a wealth of information on the art of tarot cards. The manual goes into the history of tarot cards, explains the placement of the cards, and talks about the meanings of the cards.
It is interesting read if someone is interested in learning more about tarot cards. However, this only applies to the manual. If you get the game now, you will most likely only get the game, which unfortunately is not that informative. Creating a game based on tarot cards sounds like a fun idea. The problem with this is that when it's all in the game, after about 30 minutes, the new wears off and you are left with a game that isn't actually a game. If you're not interested or intrigued by tarot card readings, this is a game for game collectors only. So there is no game recommendation.
Originally posted on 2021-01-26 08:13:00.