Nightmare in the Dark is a throw back
to simpler arcade games. All the action takes place on
a single screen with simple game play. You can jump and
you can fire. Your goal is to hit enemies with fireballs
then throw them at other enemies. Where the game excels
is in its presentation.
With a graveyard theme and Halloween feel, Nightmare
in the Dark is very stylish. While the game takes
place on a single screen, the graphics and sounds are
excellent. The platforms in the game vaguely remind me
of Joust. The enemies, while cartoonish,
are animated quite well. Causing cascading hits on enemies
is addicting and various huge boss battles add variety
to the game. In fact, the boss battles in Mario
vs. Donkey Kong remind me of this game.
If you like games that reward technique—like the
better Neo fighters—you may not like Nightmare
in the Dark very much. It is a "quarter
muncher" at heart and some of the enemies can be
cheap (The final boss being the worst offender). The game
is also a bit short.
Despite its flaws, Nightmare in the Dark
is one of my favorite games on the Neo Geo. However, being
released near the end of the original SNK’s life
span, makes it pricey to find and somewhat of a guilty
pleasure.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.