Nightbreed - The Interactive Movie

Back when they knew how to make great horror movies

I remember watching Nightbreed back in the day and absolutely loved it. Okay, it was a little cheesy but I'm a fan of most horror genres and Clive Barker never disappoints. It had such a different twist to its style and atmosphere and I loved the idea of Midian with its freaks - being the good guys. Something I didn't expect at the time.

Being the weirdo that I am, I would have loved to see Midian for myself one dark night - of course, armed with nothing more than a flashlight!! Alas, it was never meant to be... well... until now that is!! Thanks to Ocean, and their amazing dedication to movie tie-ins, I finally have their Nightbreed which tries to follow the original plot as best it can. This time it's what's called an interactive adventure, umm, with some arcade action thrown in for good measure.

Right then, let's stop the natter and check out some of the screenshots from this scary game...

Don't listen to the bad man...

Hey, check out that 90s hairdo (and Aaron's nipples! lol)

The gameplay area is pretty large and feels a lot bigger thanks to the laborious car journey!

Armed with a torch, we head into the dark woods!

As you can imagine, we play as Aaron Boone and begin our adventure in the doctor's office listening to his lies. Yup, he's trying to trick us into a confession for something we haven't done - our world is collapsing in on itself. After this introduction plays through, we're presented with a map of the area which has many roads. Here you can travel to three possible destinations: the redneck police station, an ever-attractive asylum, and the mysterious Midian Town.

To drive, we use the overhead map of the area using the mouse and click each intersection of any road. However, watch out for hidden roadblocks that present a decision: do you smash through like a rebel or turn around to find an alternative route? Keep your eyes on the fuel gauge, I wouldn't like to get stuck on these roads at nighttime...

Deciding where to go is completely up to you but take a look at this map first, before you start burning unnecessary fuel. And then think to yourself what would Aaron Boone do? Everything may look very similar but each action you make (generally) has a different outcome: I made my way to the hospital in my first game, but (ahem) that didn't go very well.

Not well at all, actually! Check out the screenshot I got to see on my first game...

What a nightmare it is to be shackled and caged like a beast!

Arghh!! Caught and locked away in a padded cell for the rest of my days!

Just listen to his howling!! Wow :o

I've been eaten, again!

Of course, being the eager adventure, I restarted and headed straight to Midian. Here I was given three options: I chose to enter Midian itself which is something I was really looking forward to. However, I think this was a bad choice because I was instantly torn to pieces by a Berserker without any possible chance to defend myself. What an ending!!

I never gave up and tried again with my foolish venture into Midian but, this time, I was set upon by something else that was extremely vicious. However, this is where I finally got to see Nightbreed's action scenes as I ran away like a scared chicken. This part has you banging on the mouse button to separate two sprites at the top of your screen - one to represent you and the chasing monster. I escaped but trigger-happy cops were waiting and I found myself in the morgue!

As you can see, my fortune in this game is pretty terrible. Let's see some screenshots...

I made a poor decision and the doctor was waiting for me...

He brought the cops. Who shot me into pieces!

Midian is full of freaks... but I gotta admire the artwork and a dodgy game of chase!!

Horrorscope!

Visually, Nightbreed doesn't fail to impress and features many screens with gorgeous artwork. I love the eerie tones that make use of great palette choices to honour the movie's atmosphere nicely. However, the animations are pretty lame and I dare you not to laugh when being chased However, it's this part where I thought Aaron looked like David Boreanaz [remember the vamp Angel] as his image wobbles back 'n' forth. Or is it just me?

The audio is also excellent. Okay, I'd have liked more background sounds but, what we have, is sampled and pretty darn awesome. Easily my favourite sound effect is when we're captured and held captive in the asylum: this is probably one of the scariest samples I've ever heard in any game. It's incredible. Listen to it!!

Remember when I said I found myself in the morgue? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean game over...

Oh no, I'm not doing too well... Well, I did end up in the morgue so that's never good!

Well, I never expected that... this is turning into an old Hammer House of Horror movie!!

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Nightbreed with its weird storyline and freaky aesthetics that I'm sure Clive Barker would appreciate. The game is big and offers quite a challenge but I was left a little disappointed - considering this is an interactive adventure - as I imagined a lot more actual "interaction". Also, I felt blindly forced into following a predetermined and limited plot - one wrong move and you're dead. Which isn't brilliant for what is supposed to be a free-roaming adventure scenario.

Don't get me wrong, this is no Dragon's Lair and I'm sure fans will get something from this interactive movie tie-in. I loved the ability to venture into Midian for myself but I simply feel more could have been done to exploit the setting and storyline with its wide variety of Midian monsters. I enjoyed it as it's not a bad game just not a great one.

Here are a few screenshots to tempt you into downloading Nightbreed for floppy or hard drive!