Mary Skelter: Nightmares

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***Mary Skelter: Nightmares*** (神獄塔 メアリスケルター, *Kangokutou Mearisukeruta*?), is a dungeon crawling role-playing video game developed by Compile Heart for the PlayStation Vita released in October 13, 2016 in Japan, and was released on September 22nd for North America and Europe. It was also remade and ported to the Nintendo Switch as free DLC for *Mary Skelter 2* in October 22, 2019.

## Story

The game is set in the underground prison known as "the Jail". Monstrous creatures called Marchen act as the wardens of the Jail, capturing humans and bringing them inside to perform various tortures.

The story's protagonist is Jack, a boy who is imprisoned in the Jail with his childhood friend Alice. The two cling to each other for stability in this hell, trying to survive for that one opportunity to escape. Until finally, a mysterious girl appears wielding an absurdly large pair of scissors. Destroying the cells that hold the prisoners, she introduces herself as Red Riding Hood. And so begins Jack's journey.

In addition to the story in the game, there is the *Mary Skelter: Nightmares* Prologue, which tells the stories of Jack and the Blood Maidens prior to the game, and Kangokutou Mary-Skelter: Hikari no Arika, a novel that tells the story from a different perspective. While neither have to be read to understand the story, it provides backstory and world-building. However, both spoil some parts of the story, so they may be best experienced after the end of the game.

## Gameplay

As a 3D dungeon-crawling RPG, the dungeons are navigated from a first-person perspective. Characters can use various abilities within the dungeons to bypass obstacles and discover secrets. Movement and timing of certain field elements are on a turn-based system. Combat is also turn-based.

### Nightmares

Nightmares are unique monsters and the bosses of the game. They wander the Jail, seeking out intruders to eliminate. Their "Nightmare Field" can disable the map and make it hard to see where you're going, which is problematic when the Nightmares move in real time. Moreover, they are effectively immortal until the core in the area is destroyed. Take caution not to bump into one, and be ready to run if you do.

### Combat

Attacking an enemy with their weakness or overkilling them over a certain amount of HP will cause blood to splatter. This blood is highly visible, even in Nightmare Fields, so it makes for a good trail if you need to exit the area or run from a Nightmare.

Blood Maidens that get splattered with enough Marchen blood can enter Massacre Mode, a powerful state with extra abilities. Alternatively, you can lick that blood off to trigger Blood Soul Skills for buffs and heals based on who you lick.

However, the Blood Maidens will accumulate Corruption through the Marchen blood overtime. If there is too much blood and Corruption, then the Blood Maiden will go into Blood Skelter, attacking anyone who stands near them.

The Mary Gun that Jack has can be used to purge Blood Maidens of Corruption and even get them out of Blood Skelter, but at the cost of his own blood. Use too much of it and Jack will be temporarily knocked out for a few turns.

### Exploration

The locations of *Nightmares* are very different in atmosphere, layout, and aesthetic. They are all connected to each other, but they can be accessed individually once it has been reached. The Blood Maidens can also use their Blood Abilities to traverse the map as well, solving puzzle or getting to hard-to-reach places. Items, chests, and encounters can all be found throughout the world and can be seen on the map.

### Jobs

Each of the Blood Maidens have access to a certain number of jobs, each with a different load-out of Skills, stats, and Job Specifications. Choosing which job to use is entirely up to the player and their needs at the moment. Once a job is unlocked, it can be freely switched out of in the Laboratory in the Liberated District.

### Endings

The game has multiple endings, each with different specifications to achieve them tied to both exploration and combat.

## External links

* Japanese Website: Official Site
* English Website: Official Site