Nightmare Creatures

• Release Date: October 30, 1997
• Genre: Action
• Style: Third-Person 3D Action
• Similar Games: Resident Evil (Sega Saturn), Tomb Raider (Sega Saturn), Tomb Raider (PlayStation), Resident Evil (IBM PC Compatible), Tomb Raider (IBM PC Compatible), Resident Evil (PlayStation), Deathtrap Dungeon (IBM PC Compatible), Deathtrap Dungeon (PlayStation), Tomb Raider Starring Lara Croft (Game Boy Color)

Game Description

Prepare yourself for a relentlessly wild hack-and-slash bloodfest throughout the streets of London. The year is 1834. Adam Crowley, leader of the Brotherhood of Hecate, has found and deciphered a book written by Samuel Pepys. This book has granted Crowley the power to build a superior race of demonic creatures for use in taking over the world -- an initial goal of the Brotherhood.

It is now up to the player to stop the evil Crowley and silence the Brotherhood's ambitions forever by assuming the role of either Father Ignatius Blackward or Nadia F. Ignatius fights the hoards of evil as a means of life -- he is a firm believer in God and that of the ancient languages and rituals. As a monk, he has been schooled with the knowledge of staff fighting and will do whatever it takes to bring Adam Crowley to justice.

Nadia F. is a student looking for redemption and revenge. As she was traveling around the world with her father, he was brutally murdered by someone or something related to Crowley. Nadia had spent her whole life travelling the world with her father -- he was a professor and renowned doctor and showed her many different things. During her travels, she became a master chemist and learned much about microbes and viruses -- she also learned the art of fencing and was a natural born gymnast.

Each character has his or her own unique attack methods and combinations, all of which will be useful throughout the 16 levels of third-person perspective gameplay. While most of the time is spent in London, the player will travel through city streets, dark sewers, waterways and docks, etc. Along the way, Crowley's minions must be dealt with -- they come in the form of ravenous zombies, werewolves, flying reptilian demons, dockers, insects, and faceless men who are rumored to be dead/former members of the Brothers of Hecate.

Nightmare Creatures features analog support and a Memory Card can be used to save games.

Roots & Influences

Nightmare Creatures bases its story on an actual story. In the 1600-1700s, Samuel Pepys kept a journal and often times wrote about creatures or plagues. The game itself takes all the platforming elements in Tomb Raider and places them in a more action based format. The creatures resemble those found within Resident Evil, though the game is played from an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective.

Review: Overall

Hacking limbs off bodies, excessive gore, and mass quantities of blood would be an accurate description of Nightmare Creatures' theme. The action takes place in an 1834 London with a prime objective to kill, sever, and maim the demonic hordes that have been unleashed by the psychotic Adam Crowley. While the concept may seem unoriginal, it fits here -- Nightmare Creatures is a blast to play!

Players will either assume the role of Father Ignatius Blackward or Nadia F. -- a man of God and a student of the world, respectively. The two characters are dynamically different in that Ignatius crushes his enemies with a very powerful staff while Nadia is experienced with gymnastics and fencing. Where one relies on brute strength, the other favors maneuverability. Whichever character is chosen will not alter the game -- the story remains the same and has little to no effect on gameplay.

Nightmare Creatures really lives up to its name -- the monsters found within the streets of London are horrid, monstrous figures. There are over twenty different creatures in all, some of which are downright terrifying. The bestiary ranges from zombies and werewolves to Pepys Monsters -- nine feet tall, three arms, and two heads -- and gargoyles. Each creature's limbs can be hacked off or their entire body slashed to pieces -- a true bloodfest!

Gameplay is handled via third-person perspective, ala Tomb Raider. While the camera usually resides behind the character's back, it can sometimes stray -- especially in narrow hallways and close combat. When in a hallway, it will often get stuck on a piece of the wall and not want to fix itself; the camera often moves in front of the character halfway through a battle making it a bit difficult to hit your target. Though it can get annoying at times, the camera, for the most part, is adequate.

Unlike some aspects of the camera system, the controls are tight and accurate. Pulling off combinations and special maneuvers takes practice but are well worth the time to learn -- some of them are devastatingly powerful. Like many fighting games, the moves are executed by pressing a certain button combination on the controller. It can, however, get a little rough in the area of jumping, especially between platforms. While not necessarily the fault of the controls, each character tends to overcompensate their movement -- traversing small, platform-like areas can get frustrating at times.

The game is also very hard. Even with the difficulty level on the easiest setting, the game feels unbalanced and difficult. While the first level is somewhat easy, the rest of the game is not. Many times there was an overwhelming feeling -- the developers do not allow the player to get adjusted to the game's challenges. Instead, the player is thrown in over their heads right at the beginning.

While it may be extremely challenging with a camera system isn't always on-point, Nightmare Creatures is a solid hack and slash bloodfest. Think of it as an action oriented Resident Evil meets Tomb Raider without the extreme puzzle solving elements. Because of a few of the monsters, this game is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is, however, for those looking for a relentlessly action packed adventure crammed with devilish monsters and lots of blood.

Review: Enjoyment

Though things can get a bit frustrating because of the extreme challenge, Nightmare Creatures is an overall enjoyable experience.

Review: Graphics

The 3D graphics are very detailed and the engine allows for some good, eerie light sourcing. Characters and monsters are very interesting and unique.

Review: Sound

With ambient sound effects and music, there is a chillingly scary atmosphere flowing throughout each level. Monster roars and screams are both timely and startling.

Review: Replay Value

Once completed, there isn't much to go back for in jolly old London. The two characters feature the same quest and there's nothing new to complete.

Review: Documentation

The 25-page manual offers a good background of the events leading up to the game. It also explains some of the different combination moves, special items, and descriptions of the creatures.

Production Credits

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