Nightmare Reaper’s procedurally generated stages are as brutally aggressive as the thrash metal motifs that drive it. Coined as a heist-shooter, it’s a roguelite that revels in retro visuals, blistering speeds and the spectacle of bloodshed that ensues.
In a new move, it procedurally generates levels, meaning that every time you die or start over, things change. The aesthetic changes by chapter, moving from water pits and spiky tombs to hospital wards and cities; and, if you can find them, space stations where you can buy pets that help you uncover secrets. Layouts are largely unique with each new playthrough, but hitting switches, finding keys, or locating suspicious walls to break through is a constant. At its best, the procedural element creates levels that feel deliberate, which is impressive given its layering. That said, it’s not perfect, with parts occasionally being recycled, dead ends appearing, and on one occasion, an impassable early jump that forced us to leave the stage.
Nightmare Reaper is packed with content. Upgrades, buffs, rebuffs and all that jazz. There are secrets and power-ups everywhere, tons of enemy types, and over 80 weapons to grab, all with modifier capabilities, allowing you to freeze the undead or turn the entire arena into a flaming inferno. You can choose one weapon to carry to the next stage, and the loot progression element encourages you to harvest gold and find hidden rooms full of treasure. Buying new game cartridges in-game gives you new skill trees on the GameBoy Advance SP subscreen, which you can access at any time for a mountain of purchasable upgrades. When you acquire a new skill, you can play a rudimentary 2D stage that mimics Gradius or Super Mario Bros. 3.
The shootout is knee-deep in bone and blood, blending dry humor with ultra-violence and coloring the screen in all kinds of pixelated crimson. It doesn’t achieve the same feedback as something similar Brutal ruin, but it spits out thick, spectacular hordes that you can cut to pieces. The music is great, with DOOM Eternal’s Andrew Hulshult belting out a predictable but perfectly executed set of metal songs, complete with thundering drums and deadly riffs. The controls are also well thought out and simple.
However, there are a few caveats. Aside from the occasional missing procedural element, the main campaign is arguably overblown at around 90 levels and can become exhausting under the weight of its richness. Sometimes, too, its pixelated rendering can be confusing, especially when looking for switches or buttons; and many secret rooms or items are not often useful or worth seeking out. The story aspect, which puts you in the shoes of a patient in a hospital psychiatric ward, who goes in and out of nightmare worlds, is quite interesting, but having to return to your hospital room between each stage for minor aesthetic changes or a new page of the doctor’s diary wears thin quickly .
The Nightmare Reaper, however, achieves most of what it sets out to do, pushing the boundaries in terms of weaponry, spectacular abilities, and more trinkets than a fully loaded freighter. It’s at its best when it turns into a spectacular bloodbath at the whims of your creative weapon and ability choices. And while there are imperfections, its violent, adrenaline-pumping high notes will make it very appealing to old-school FPS fans.
