Something I will always find kind of amazing is that we got not one, but TWO full-fledged survival-horror titles on a pre-DS era Nintendo handheld, this and a rather notorious Resident Evil spin-off. Now, I realize the company has gotten quite a bit more liberal with what they'll let release on their hardware over the years. Properties such as the mega horny Bayonetta franchise becoming one of their exclusives for example, and even back in the day they'd slip out the occasional M-rated curveball like Conker. Still, it's surprising nonetheless. Not only because they came out during a time when the Japanese juggernaut's identity and family-friendliness were as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly, but due to the technical limitations developers would have had to work around as well.
Shockingly enough, The New Nightmare on GBC offers a pretty solid imitation of what was going on with the genre on home consoles during that period. Using tricks like screen changes to simulate transitions between fixed camera angles and craft faux 3D environments. There are even tank controls in the combat scenarios. It follows the expected formula of exploring environments for items that will either help you solve puzzles or refill your ever-dwindling supply of ammunition and health potions in preparation for the next monster attack, so it captures a nearly identical feel to its obvious inspirations.
Unfortunately, the ambition of this (otherwise fairly successful) attempt to recreate a PS1/Dreamcast caliber experience on far less powerful technology exceeds the ability of said far less powerful technology in a few crucial ways related to the gameplay and presentation. For one it's ugly as sin. The backgrounds often look like pixelated garbage and protagonist Edward Carnby somehow ended up resembling a child's bad Microsoft Paint project. More critically however is the severe lack of atmosphere. There's no music outside of cutscenes, which makes it really jarring whenever they do occur, so you're largely wandering about in silence for the majority of the adventure, preventing any air tension from forming. That paired with how enemy confrontations work means the fear factor you'd hope for is sadly missing.
You do experience a degree of apprehension upon entering a new area, but that's more the result of a questionable design decision/flaw more than anything. I think most know careful inventory management is a huge part of these type of games as you struggle to not run out of bullets or wind up without so much as a band-aid to cover your wounds. Traditionally, to contend with their limited quantities you are given the option to try and avoid any deadly creatures you come across. Yet, that isn't the case here. Foes are hidden behind JRPG-style random encounters that are always announced via dialog that keeps the appearance of these threats from being able to scare you and renders costly confrontations with them unavoidable. You're regularly forced to burn through your precious reserves and this is particularly problematic in the second-half where replenishments aren't as plentiful. I actually had to restart from the beginning on my first attempt through of this because I simply had nothing reload my guns with anymore. The tragic consequence of venturing into too many rooms comprised solely of ambushes.
Luckily, the frustration such a fault could have brought is alleviated by the "Nightmare's" relatively short, breezy nature and the fact that you have the ability to save your progress at any point and pick up from the exact place you left off. A feature that wasn't even terribly common in many GBA releases. Overall, this may not be great, but is made noteworthy thanks to the impressive feats it accomplishes under the restrictive confines of Nintendo's first full color handheld. I can't truly recommend it for entertainment value alone, as it's admittedly somewhat low on that. Rather, the novelty of how well it mimics its big brother, which had homes on systems like the PS2, provides enough reason to check it out.
6.9/10
Shockingly enough, The New Nightmare on GBC offers a pretty solid imitation of what was going on with the genre on home consoles during that period. Using tricks like screen changes to simulate transitions between fixed camera angles and craft faux 3D environments. There are even tank controls in the combat scenarios. It follows the expected formula of exploring environments for items that will either help you solve puzzles or refill your ever-dwindling supply of ammunition and health potions in preparation for the next monster attack, so it captures a nearly identical feel to its obvious inspirations.
Unfortunately, the ambition of this (otherwise fairly successful) attempt to recreate a PS1/Dreamcast caliber experience on far less powerful technology exceeds the ability of said far less powerful technology in a few crucial ways related to the gameplay and presentation. For one it's ugly as sin. The backgrounds often look like pixelated garbage and protagonist Edward Carnby somehow ended up resembling a child's bad Microsoft Paint project. More critically however is the severe lack of atmosphere. There's no music outside of cutscenes, which makes it really jarring whenever they do occur, so you're largely wandering about in silence for the majority of the adventure, preventing any air tension from forming. That paired with how enemy confrontations work means the fear factor you'd hope for is sadly missing.
You do experience a degree of apprehension upon entering a new area, but that's more the result of a questionable design decision/flaw more than anything. I think most know careful inventory management is a huge part of these type of games as you struggle to not run out of bullets or wind up without so much as a band-aid to cover your wounds. Traditionally, to contend with their limited quantities you are given the option to try and avoid any deadly creatures you come across. Yet, that isn't the case here. Foes are hidden behind JRPG-style random encounters that are always announced via dialog that keeps the appearance of these threats from being able to scare you and renders costly confrontations with them unavoidable. You're regularly forced to burn through your precious reserves and this is particularly problematic in the second-half where replenishments aren't as plentiful. I actually had to restart from the beginning on my first attempt through of this because I simply had nothing reload my guns with anymore. The tragic consequence of venturing into too many rooms comprised solely of ambushes.
Luckily, the frustration such a fault could have brought is alleviated by the "Nightmare's" relatively short, breezy nature and the fact that you have the ability to save your progress at any point and pick up from the exact place you left off. A feature that wasn't even terribly common in many GBA releases. Overall, this may not be great, but is made noteworthy thanks to the impressive feats it accomplishes under the restrictive confines of Nintendo's first full color handheld. I can't truly recommend it for entertainment value alone, as it's admittedly somewhat low on that. Rather, the novelty of how well it mimics its big brother, which had homes on systems like the PS2, provides enough reason to check it out.
6.9/10