Graphics: 6
Even for the NES, the graphics are nothing to write home about. Skeletons look like skeletons, you and your bird look adequate. Some of the main bosses actually have pretty neat movements with their swords or other weapons. Not a lot to talk about. The graphics are almost but not quite Castlevania quality.

Sound: 8
The sound is the highlight of this game. Having said that, some stages have great music while others hurt your ears. Each area, be it Egypt or Italy, has its own appropriate theme music. This makes each stage somewhat interesting.

As for the sounds, well there isn't alot of variety. Sword strikes and taking damage are about it. Not as much variety as castlevania but the ""good"" music makes up for it.

Gameplay: 3
It hurts me to give a game such a low gameplay score. I usually give a game a minimum of 5 but this one will frustrate you. When I first bought the game, I was determined to beat it. However, I soon found that the neat concept of using a bird along with a swordsman didn't work. The good news is that the game can be played by two players. One of you controls the bird, the other the swordsman. Too bad the bird takes massive damage and doesn't contribute alot.

Now to be fair, the bird is actually better suited for many of the main bosses. They simply have a hard time hitting a bird swoop attack. This advantage is not long lived because your bird barely does any damage. Your swordsman can do fair damage(depending on whether or not you have the right sword from the previous main boss). This is a Megaman trait that is neat but that's about it. However, your swordsman can't take a lot of hits either so using him is extremely risky against certain bosses. So, you either take a risk or spend thirty minutes birding the boss.

Adding to the frustration are the levels themselves. Some are straightforward and relaxing but others feature infinite loops. You can play these for hours and never make it to the boss. Anger will build.

Overall: 4
Unfortunately, Eight Eyes is only worth half of its namesake. The difficulty of the bosses, inadequate bird partner, and terrible level design more destroy the game's one good quality: sound. However, if you have the time, and better yet a second person, give it a shot. Just bring lots of patience and something to drink.

For the record, my buddy and I actually beat the game. We made past all of the bosses and fought the lady in the castle(at the center of the stage select screen). Learning patterns is key to defeating the bosses. When you win, you have to restart with a password that makes everything harder. Sadly, my friend and I did not have enough time or patience to wade through this monster a second time.

Only hardcore castlevania-genre fans should check this out. Its a shame this game wasn't designed better, the bird and swordsman team-up is kind of creative. Oh well.