Night Creatures for TurboGrafx-16

Image: MobyGames

Night Creatures

Dollar store Dracula

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

It's a bit like Bram Stoker's Dracula, but with some of the worst hit detection I've seen in a game. Enemies take multiple hits and get iframes so you almost always hit them and then take damage before you can hit them again. Your weapon has a deceptively wide arch since it only seems to deal damage head on. Maybe it's because the enemy hitboxes are small or something, but it all adds up to a terribly inconsistent hit detection. Color me unimpressed.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

I didn't get very far, owing to the high difficulty. Enemies spawn constantly and most of them fly. You don't get a moment's rest. The levels aren't terrible but also feel like an afterthought. Many screens just end while others trigger an in-game cutscene very awkwardly. The transitions are weird.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Discount Dracula. You're an eastern european villager who has been bitten by a bat. You've got to kill the queen of darkness before dawn or else become a night creature. They can't even bring themselves to use the word vampire. Very generic.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Has an Amiga quality. The sprites look dorky and have a dark border, presumably to make them stand out. It makes them look weird.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

The music isn't half bad.

Overall Score: 32

Review ID: 1482