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Taboo: The Sixth Sense

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Turn the Nintendo Entertainment System into a tarot card deck with Taboo: The Sixth Sense. Write down a questions via the controller, and after a shuffling of cards, the game will attempt to predict your future. Some fortunes may be positive, offering wealth, fame and power. Other fortunes may wa...

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Developer
Rare

Released on
1989

Size
1 Player

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Puzzle

Publisher
Tradewest

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Turn the Nintendo Entertainment System into a tarot card deck with Taboo: The Sixth Sense. Write down a questions via the controller, and after a shuffling of cards, the game will attempt to predict your future. Some fortunes may be positive, offering wealth, fame and power. Other fortunes may warn the player to take care and use caution in future events. After the final card is revealed, the player has an option to choose their lucky numbers. Obviously, Taboo: The Sixth Sense is meant for entertainment purposes only, and should be taken as such.

Taboo: The Sixth Sense

Overview & History

Released by Tradewest in 1989 and developed by Rare, *Taboo: The Sixth Sense* is one of the most eccentric titles in the Nintendo Entertainment System library. Eschewing traditional platforming or action mechanics entirely, this unusual software masquerades as a digital occult fortune-telling tool. Rare drew heavy inspiration from classic Tarot cards, astrology, and the occult, wrapping it in a distinctly eerie aesthetic defined by the iconic Danse Macabre musical theme playing continuously on the title screen. Despite bearing an official Nintendo seal, the game sparked minor controversies upon release due to its heavy mystical framing, leading some conservative retailers to shy away from stocking it. Rather than offering a video game in the traditional sense, *Taboo* positions itself as an interactive electronic mystic, guiding the player through digital tarot readings, astrological breakdowns, and a mysterious 'sixth sense' fortune-telling engine that claims to divine the user's future based on their date of birth and gender inputs.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Gameplay in *Taboo* is entirely menu-driven, relying on psychological divination rather than hand-eye coordination. Players begin by inputting their name, gender, and birthdate—crucial data points the game purportedly uses to calibrate its readings. The core experience is split into three main modules: the Tarot Card reading, the Astrological chart, and the 'Sixth Sense' crystal ball query. In the Tarot mode, players select specific cards from a virtual deck, which the game then interprets using cryptic, foreboding text reminiscent of a Victorian fortune-teller. The graphics are surprisingly striking for an 8-bit console, featuring large, highly detailed, and genuinely unsettling depictions of Major Arcana cards like The Hangman, Death, and The Fool. The crystal ball sequence utilizes primitive sprite scaling to create a zooming effect as ethereal messages fade in and out of the vaporous display.