Is this just another throwback shooter in the sea of games of this genre we have today? Yeah, pretty much.
Nightmare Reaper’s quirk that sets it apart are the randomly generated levels and variety of weapons that can be found. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough for me. Indeed, it was fun for a while, but then all the levels started blending in together, and I got more and more bored as I kept going, so instead I just quit.
Overall, it’s alright, I had fun, I just wish I continued to have fun. Someone who is a bigger fan of this genre will have a better time than me.
Story
You play as a woman (I forget whether she has a name) who is insane, to the point where every time she goes to sleep, she dreams of a retro FPS game. It's nothing more than a framing device for the gameplay. At times there are doctor’s notes that can be found in your room (you are hospitalized) which can be interesting, but they come very rarely.
Does anyone else get tired of a boomer shooter with an almost non-existent plot, I find it the biggest flaw in the genre.
Mechanics and gameplay
It’s the standard throwback shooter formula. The level starts, kill all enemies while making your way through it, kill a boss if there is one, and end the level. The randomly generated levels that Nightmare Reaper uses are also its biggest flaw. They are better than a badly designed level, but they all feel the same, since there is rarely anything to set them apart. I guess the way this could have been avoided is by just making the game shorter, since as of now it's long, like very long.
Another variation to the formula is the way weapons are handled. There are a lot of them, but instead of having a slot for each one, you have to choose two or three and discard the rest. Weapons are found through levels, either being dropped from monsters or just found randomly on the ground. They come in various rarities and the higher the rarity, the more quirks they have. This is great and all, but there is one problem. Once you find a high-rarity weapon, replacing it becomes difficult. Since if you were to replace it with something worse, you suddenly made the game much harder.
There are other gamemodes like minigames and an arena, but none of them caught my interest.
Graphics/Artstyle
2.5D graphics are similar to old FPS games like Wolfenstein and Doom. There is improved lighting and effects compared to them, but still, the graphics are a bit bland.
Atmosphere/Immersion
Unfortunately, any type of atmosphere or immersion the game tries to build is held back by the randomly generated levels and the RPG-like weapon rarities.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is made by Andrew Hulshult. (Who could have guessed!?) Classic metal FPS OST, it's alright, not much more I can say. My favourite part is “Lucid Mayhem”.
Final Thoughts
I wish my dreams were as epic as this, instead, I kidnap doctors and take pictures of cars.
Nightmare Reaper’s quirk that sets it apart are the randomly generated levels and variety of weapons that can be found. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough for me. Indeed, it was fun for a while, but then all the levels started blending in together, and I got more and more bored as I kept going, so instead I just quit.
Overall, it’s alright, I had fun, I just wish I continued to have fun. Someone who is a bigger fan of this genre will have a better time than me.
Story
You play as a woman (I forget whether she has a name) who is insane, to the point where every time she goes to sleep, she dreams of a retro FPS game. It's nothing more than a framing device for the gameplay. At times there are doctor’s notes that can be found in your room (you are hospitalized) which can be interesting, but they come very rarely.
Does anyone else get tired of a boomer shooter with an almost non-existent plot, I find it the biggest flaw in the genre.
Mechanics and gameplay
It’s the standard throwback shooter formula. The level starts, kill all enemies while making your way through it, kill a boss if there is one, and end the level. The randomly generated levels that Nightmare Reaper uses are also its biggest flaw. They are better than a badly designed level, but they all feel the same, since there is rarely anything to set them apart. I guess the way this could have been avoided is by just making the game shorter, since as of now it's long, like very long.
Another variation to the formula is the way weapons are handled. There are a lot of them, but instead of having a slot for each one, you have to choose two or three and discard the rest. Weapons are found through levels, either being dropped from monsters or just found randomly on the ground. They come in various rarities and the higher the rarity, the more quirks they have. This is great and all, but there is one problem. Once you find a high-rarity weapon, replacing it becomes difficult. Since if you were to replace it with something worse, you suddenly made the game much harder.
There are other gamemodes like minigames and an arena, but none of them caught my interest.
Graphics/Artstyle
2.5D graphics are similar to old FPS games like Wolfenstein and Doom. There is improved lighting and effects compared to them, but still, the graphics are a bit bland.
Atmosphere/Immersion
Unfortunately, any type of atmosphere or immersion the game tries to build is held back by the randomly generated levels and the RPG-like weapon rarities.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is made by Andrew Hulshult. (Who could have guessed!?) Classic metal FPS OST, it's alright, not much more I can say. My favourite part is “Lucid Mayhem”.
Final Thoughts
I wish my dreams were as epic as this, instead, I kidnap doctors and take pictures of cars.