Nightmare Creatures II

It's like David Bowie said, "Scary Monsters." Kalisto Entertainment's Nightmare Creatures sees 19th century London threatened by an onrush of gruesome beasts brought forth by the evil Adam Crowley (sort of a mix of the 1920's "wickedest man in the world" Aleister Crowley and The Muppet Show's Animal) and his sinister cult, the Brotherhood of Hecate. It's your job to wipe out these most unholiest of unholies and their master - either as the young American swordswoman Nadia or Ignatius, the staff-wielding monk.

While Nightmare Creatures has been likened to a hybrid of Eidos' Tomb Raider and Capcom's Resident Evil, that's not an entirely accurate analogy. The title takes place in a spooky 3D world that you view from a behind-the-back perspective; and that's where any comparison to either of the games pretty much stops. The game runs at a jaunty 30+ frames per second with up to four monsters simultaneously onscreen and with little or no slowdown, though admittedly, the environment is kept fairly dark and/or misty so that you can't watch the graveyards, alleys, sewers, and the like being built up around you. It's less a criticism than an observation, since the darkness can easily be attributed to "atmosphere."

But catacombs and cesspools aside, the real mood-setters are the monsters. You will encounter fifteen distinct types of creatures (ranging from zombies to giant spiders, dog-sized rats to werewolves, hellhounds to harpies, and three-headed ogres to flaming imps) and five different bosses, such as the Yeti, a four-headed fire-breathing serpent, and old Crowley himself. All have distinct powers and attack styles, making them quite a caliginous handful when an unpredictable, varied group pounces on your character all at once.

To combat these nasties, the characters are each equipped with a rudimentary sword or staff, which can eventually be upgraded to more lethal devices such as spiked clubs, double axes, and machetes. Beyond the basic wherewithal to attack these monsters in the first place, you also have a variety of fighting moves at your disposal. Additionally, there are quite a few power-ups to be found, such as single-shot and burst pistols, half and full healths, mines, fire bombs, and freeze, confusion, and berserker spells. And while the list may seem excessive, you will need all of this to stay alive. Besides the proficiency of the enemy creatures, there's an ever-dwindling adrenaline bar, which measures the amount of the natural stimulant in your system that must remain full to keep a Crowley-concocted poison from destroying your system. You can keep your adrenaline high only by continuously seeking out and winning battles.