How This Lost Risqué Sega Game Was Finally Found

Video games and movies have a tumultuous history together, and they haven't always been thought of as a favorable duo. Technology played one factor in this, and Full Motion Video, or FMV, games were one early way that the two forms of media tried to mesh. FMV games rose to prominence in the 1990s, and they were essentially interactive movies that were supposed to be the next hit technology, according to Nerd Bacon. However, as the site explained, these games were notoriously bad. Even remakes of popular FMV titles like "Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition" didn't get much positive press in 2022. Sega experienced gamers' tumultuous view of FMV games first hand with its attempt at making an adult FMV game called "The Sacred Pools."

An old press release for "The Sacred Pools" explained that the game was supposed to be about "mystery, power, and seduction" as players utilized 3D computer graphics alongside filmed scenes to explore the island of Amazonia. Part of the game focused on dancing with women from the island, which pushed the game in the direction of an "erotic thriller," as Gaming Alexandria put it.

The same site explained that "Sacred Pools" was met with a lot of criticism at E3 1996, which led to Sega never discussing the game again. However, copies of the game still existed, and some were finally released to Gaming Alexandria for the first time.

Gaming Alexandria was approached by previous SegaSoft workers and told that copies of "Sacred Pools" existed. The former employees gave the site the game CDs for preservation purposes. The CDs were originally floating around the community because they'd been a gift for one of the game's producers as SegaSoft was shutting down.

The CDs were kept in great condition, so Gaming Alexandria was able to create downloadable ROMs of the games for anyone wanting to experience them or any gaming history collectors to archive. The site also posted some gameplay on YouTube, which showed off puzzles and some surprising action along with the risqué content – including women in lingerie – that the game was rumored to have.

Gaming history buffs were excited to see that the game still exists. Many explained that the game's rating would have made it difficult to release for consoles back when it was developed, but it would be much easier today. It's surprising that the game still existed and was lost for so many years, as people pointed out, but it's a win for those looking to preserve the history of video games.