Déjà Vu: A nightmare comes true

Famicom version cartridge (1988)

'Déjà Vu' is an adventure game that was originally released for the Macintosh in 1985.

Originally it was spelled as 'Deja Vu'. Some versions had the subtitle 'A nightmare comes true', and some didn't.

The Macintosh version was in black and white, and didn't feature any music, but some rudimentary sound effects. Several updated version with both upgraded graphics and added sound was later released for different computers and consoles.

Macintosh version (1985)

In 1987 the game was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, and C64.
All these ports added colors (of various quality). The DOS version added some rudimentary music to parts of the game.

DOS version (1987)

C64 version (1987)

Amiga version (1987)

Atari ST version (1987)

One year later, in 1988 the game was ported to the Apple IIGS, and the Famicom (the original Japanese name for the NES). This version added a lot more sound and music to the game. The music was composed by Hiroyuki Masuno.

Apple IIGS version (1988)

In 1990 it was released for the NES in the U.S.
Notably it the Famicom/NES ports changed the interface, renaming 'Go' to 'Move', 'Operate' to 'Use', and removing the 'Consume' command, to instead add 'Take', and 'Leave'.
The inventory was changed to be pure text rather than the graphical representations of items used in all other versions.

NES version (1990)

There where also some small changes between the Famicom and the NES versions of the game (other than the obvious language translations). For instance the graphics used when the protagonist dies is a somewhat horrifying skull in the Japanese version. but changed to a tombstone in the U.S. and European versions. The dead body was covered in blood in the Japanese version, but the blood was removed in the other localisations. The main menu in the Japanese version featured a glass of scotch, but it was change to three gold coins outside of Japan. The Japanese main menu was probably meant to remind of the games cover, which was also changed for the U.S. and European releases, removing images of gambling, alcohol, and drugs.
Furthermore the glass you can pick up at the bar is rum and soda in the Japanese version, but changed to mineral water outside of Japan. The pack of cigarettes in your coat pocket is changed to a piece of gum ("sugar free of course"). This is only a few examples of a lot of minor changes.

In 1991 it was ported to Windows 3.11, and the Japanese computer NEC PC-9801.
It wasn't until a year later (1992) that the NES game was released in Europe.
This game was actually one of a handful NES games that was translated to Swedish upon it's Swedish release. This was the version of the game i had. It seems to be worth around €100 in it's original packaging, but unfortunately this was one of the games that I lent to a friend and never got back.

NEC PC-9801 version (1991)

Windows 3.11 version (1991)

Being a point-and-click game the NES controller was far from optimal, rather a mouse would be more easy to control with. This of course partly explains the overhaul of the interface.

It is quite likely that this was the first pure point-and-click adventure game, being the first game to use ICOM's MacVenture engine and interface.

It is true that the very first game to use a point-and-click interface was 'Enchanted Scepters' (Macintosh 1983). This game used a text-parser at it's core though, and although it was possible to use only the text-parser and ignore the point-and-click functionality to beat the game, the opposite was not true. The drop-down menu choices where more like shortcuts to do common things in the game, rather than use the parser all the time.
This is why I believe it is possible that 'Déjà Vu' was in fact the first adventure game with a "true" point-and-click interface.

The game starts in a bathroom stall, where the protagonist wakes up with a headache, a puncture wound in the arm, and no memory of what has happened or who he is.

As the game progresses he finds out that he is in fact Theodore "Ace" Harding, Private Investigator (and former boxer).
Someone has framed him for murder and caused him to get amnesia.
The goal of the game is to find evidence of what is really going on and clear his name, all while avoiding the police and members of the mob.

NES version, Swedish (1992)

If you read the headline of a newspaper in the game it becomes clear the game takes place right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, making the games setting Chicago December 1941.

Some of the events in the game are random, and could get you killed, or robbed of all your money.

It is quite obvious that the inspiration for this game is Film Noir from 1940-1950, and one youtuber (doomsmaster1994) commented that he thought the original Macintosh version is the one with the best graphics, partly because the monochrome graphics makes it remind even more of a black and white Noir movie.

In most versions of the game, upon completing it you where granted a P.I. Diploma that you could enter your name into and print out if you played at a computer with a printer attached to it.

The value of the game ranges from around €10-200, depending on what platform and the quality of the game, if it is complete, etc. For instance the Floppy disk of the Macintosh game goes for €12.68 on eBay, while the complete European nes edition goes for €250.