Little Nemo: Dream Master

NES

Capcom – 1989

As the game begins, a whimsical victorian airship drifts lazily through the skies of early 20th century New York. Tucked deep in a queen sized bed with a stout wooden frame, Nemo, our hero, slumbers. . . But only for the moment. The airship descends through the cottony clouds and a clown steps lightly onto the windowsill. Her eyes adjust and focus on the slumbering child within. Gently, she wakes him.

Messenger: Hi, Nemo. I’ve come to invite you to slumberland.

Nemo: Who the hell are you?

Messenger: I’m a freaky clown that comes to little children at night.

Nemo: So I see. Well, what’s on your deranged clown mind?

Messenger: I want you to come play with the princess.

Nemo: Why?

Messenger: Because I like little boys. Now shut up and get on the whimsical airship.

Nemo: I don’t think -

Messenger: I have candy.

Nemo: Okie dokie.

Thus it begins.

Little Nemo: Dream Master is the story of a little boy called on to make his way to a play-date with a princess. Although the princess gifts him with the necessary tools to move through the realm, it is up to Nemo himself to make it through all the hazards the dream world presents.

Though possessed of an intro that makes one think of child molesting, LN: DM takes the idea of a 2-D platformer, identifies the defining characteristics of the genre, and paints them funny colors. with smiley faces. For instance: jumping on enemies isn’t enough to kill them (in fact, that just hurts you). The only option you have is feeding candy to monsters with really big eyes who then allow you to ride them. It’s like capitalism, only completely different and with big eyes. Another interesting feature is the key system: simply getting to the end of a level isn’t enough – you have to find six keys hidden throughout the board to progress. Plus, you get to talk to a freakish clown at the beginning of every level. Always a plus.

Lots of things set Little Nemo: Dream Master apart, but the biggest one is style. First, the whole idea of the game sets it apart – it’s an action game, but it feels incredibly wholesome. It’s not your usual “kill this kill that kill everything” fare, but a gentler vision of candy and clowns (freaky as they be.) Second, The way the levels are linked together really changes how you perceive the whole game. It isn’t like most 2-D platformers where you just randomly land in a themey stage for a vaguely defined reason, usually no more than “this place is between points A and B.” You’re there because you’re in a dream, and then you woke up so your mom could tell you what a horrible child you are. God, Nemo, you suck.

LNDM: Perhaps slightly suspect . . . Interestingly, despite its whimsical nature, the game, in my opinion, doesn’t cross the line into cutesy-poo. It’s exceedingly cute at times, but not in any obnoxious way. It’s truly like a child’s fantasy – as in innocent and sweet, not patronizing. I think with a game concept like this, it would’ve been easy to do that.

I have but two problems: The graphics and the difficulty. These really are minor complaints, but there are a few graphic glitches and the game is a little too hard. When the graphics mess up, It ruins the suspension of belief for a second, and that’s enough to detract from the game just a bit. Regarding the difficulty, there’s usually two or three things on the screen at once bent on your ultimate demise. The friendly monsters usually offer a limited range of movement and a pitiful attack capability. However, This is a common tactic used by 80’s game developers: If you make the game hard, it will make up in replay value what it lacks in story. In this case, I don’t think it was necessary, but there it is.

What liked: whimsical, fluid storyline, coloring.

What disliked: Inexplicable clowns. Everywhere.

What to expect: a unique 2-D environment, a challenge

What not to expect: Mario 26 1/2

What's so different from this and other games of it's genre: Monster Molesting.

Ratings on:

Control: 5 (everything’s hard to handle)

Graphics: 7 (Good coloring and only slightly repetitive)

Sound: 7 (Good for the mood. Whimsical to a homicidal clown fault. sometimes, it even reminded me of Mega Man, oddly enough)

Style: 9 (Took a good idea and made it better)

Difficulty: 8 (Stupid bugs . . . stupid worms . . . stupid everything . . .)

1st hour: 7 (Oooooh Nemo. Taking candy from windowsill hopping clowns.)

2nd hour: 7 (Interesting. Feels like a cool blend of mario and Megaman.)

3rd hour: 7 (dood, the clows are freakin’ me out. I still like it though.)

1st week: 7 (Oddly enough, I feel the exact same way about this game as I did when I started playing.)

#1 reason why I hate this game: Its obvious endorsemnt of feeding clowns little children to sate their unholy clownish bloodlust. That and the bats. (Note: EEEEEEEEE!!! Bats are stupid.)

by Free”I can’t believe you thoght it was butter” ohio