Nightmare in the Dark

This fun horror-themed arcade game has you controlling a nameless, hunchbacked gravedigger battling monsters with his lantern. It plays pretty much exactly like the classic "Snow Bros", which may have also been the inspiration for Bubble Bobble. Like both of these games, each level takes place on a single screen. Unlike either of these games, enemies are defeated by first setting them on fire and then hurling their burning bodies against the wall. They'lle careen around the screen for a bit and destroy everything in their path, just like the snowballs in Snow Bros. The game is very short, with a boss every five levels, but it's still a cool idea.

Here's your kickass little character. He throws flames from his lantern. If a flame hits an enemy, it freezes in its tracks as a small fire starts at its feet. The more flames you toss on the enemy, the larger the fire gets, until the entire enemy is engulfed in a fiery sphere that can be picked up and thrown. If a burning enemy is left alone, its fire wll slowly die down.

Enough of that. Here's the ENEMIES!

Pretty straightforward. Enemies pretty much just wander about the screen occasionally deciding it might be a good idea to actually come after you. Zombies, mummies, and skeletons are the most basic enemies and don't do anything special. The blobs (I like those blobs) are about the same thing, but can hop over short gaps. The undead dodo/ostrich things (I like those too) will charge straight at you the second they get you in their sights. The tiny hunchbacks, some of which wear hats, are the game's fastest monster and jump around a lot. Ghosts, the only airborne enemies, float slowly towards you and sometimes spit out burning blue skulls that chase you. The last new enemies you encounter, psychotic red-haired zombies, rip their arms off and throw them at you repeatedly (you can see the arms growing back instantly).

This invincible spinning pumpkin comes after you if the timer runs out. Each level is timed about 99 seconds.

Okay dipsticks, these are the bosses.

The first boss is a large zombie that looks a little like Frankenstein's monster. FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER. NOT FRANKENSTEIN. Frankenstein was the name of the SCIENTIST. This guy smashes the ground with his fists, and this causes normal Zombies to pop up. Like every other boss, you can only defeat him by throwing his burning minions at him.

An interesting boss, this huge, wheeled skull (nice three-dimensional looking sprite) spits skeletons out of its mouth. I like the knives lodged in it.

Now, there's two of this guy here. They create a few different enemies and fly at you. Before the battle, they're statues.

The giant skeleton knight hops around and creates LOTS of ghosts.

Final Boss! The bodiless, floating sorcerer has an assortment of attacks always preceeded by a set of glowing runes in the air. He will either summon various enemies, multiple bolts of lightning, four floating swords that close in around you, or he will briefly transform into a giant skull with hands that toss red fireballs.

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