Nightmare in the Dark (Neo Geo MVS) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Gavaking's 2000 Halloween-themed arcade puzzle-platformer for the Neo Geo MVS, Nightmare in the Dark.

Played through on the default difficulty level.

Nightmare in the Dark is a puzzle-platformer the likes of which hadn't been regularly seen in arcades for many years by the time it was released in 2000. Of course, that's probably because it apes its gameplay wholesale from Toaplan's 1990 classic Snow Bros. that was ported to the popular systems of its time.

The mechanics are identical: you ball enemies up and throw them, somewhat like a bowling ball, at the other enemies as you attempt to clear the stage - just like in Bubble Bobble. Larger chains earn larger bonuses, and enemies occasionally drop power-ups to improve your speed and the range and power of your shots. Every fifth stage gives you a boss battle, and upon destroying the fifth and final boss on the twenty-fifth stage, you win the game.

So, getting the obvious out of the way, there's nothing innovative or unique about the gameplay. It's a bit too easy - especially for an arcade game, but it plays just as well as Snow Bros. did.

The main difference is in the presentation. Rather than the cutesy look of Snow Bros., Nightmare in the Dark has you play as a grave keeper that uses his lantern to fling fire at the undead milling about the graveyard. The graphics, simple though the gameplay may be, are the real star. The attention to detail makes it an extremely good looking 2D game - the sprites and the backgrounds are bursting with color and animation personality, in other words and the prerendered CG bosses have little trouble impressing. Though the game has a "dark" tone, it makes heavy use of vivid blues, purples, and reds to give it a vibrancy that you probably wouldn't expect from a game of its type. The sound is quite good too. Despite some ugly clipping in the music, it's energetic and captures the mood well, and the samples all come through loud and clear.

If you've played Snow Bros., you won't find any surprises in the gameplay here. But if, like me, you were a fan of that title and the idea of revisiting it with a newly- installed horror theme appeals to you, there's a lot to love here.

Of course, since when does a game have to be original to be polished and fun?
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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