Nightmare Creatures (1997)

***Nightmare Creatures*** is a 1997 survival horror video game developed by Kalisto Entertainment for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 64. A sequel, *Nightmare Creatures II*, was released three years later. A mobile phone version of *Nightmare Creatures* was developed and published by Gameloft in 2003. A second sequel, *Nightmare Creatures III: Angel of Darkness*, was cancelled in 2004.

## Plot

The story behind *Nightmare Creatures* draws upon gothic horror elements of the 19th century and begins in 1666, when a devil-worshiping cult called the Brotherhood of Hecate were conducting sinister experiments in London so as to take over the city, and then the world. The Brotherhood tried to develop an elixir that would endow them with superhuman powers. However, rather than creating their intended superhumans, their experiments instead created grotesque monsters called nightmare creatures. When they decided to use these creatures as an army of conquest, one of their members, Samuel Pepys, set their headquarters on fire, resulting in the First Great Fire of London.

The game takes place in 1834 when London falls victim to several evil occurrences. Monster sightings are reported along with news of people mutating into ungodly creatures, and that the dead are waking from their graves and walking among the living. All of London is in a panic and vulnerable to the schemes of Adam Crowley, a mad scientist and occultist enlisting the help of the Brotherhood.

A book is dropped off at the home of Ignatius Blackward, a priest and occult expert. He finds it is the lost diary of Samuel Pepys, which contains the Brotherhood's research. Knowing he needs help, Ignatius sends the diary to a renowned American immunologist named Dr. Jean Franciscus of New Orleans, who shows up with his daughter, Nadia Franciscus. With the doctor murdered and the book stolen, Ignatius and Nadia are at his funeral, where they are approached by a man who gives them a note reading: "Know about Adam Crowley, Brotherhood of Hecate --- HVHJ". Ignatius and Nadia head out to an address listed on the note, hoping to seek out Crowley and neutralize the monsters.

## Gameplay

A single-player only game, *Nightmare Creatures* allows the player to control either Ignatius or Nadia. Secondary weapons such as pistols, mines, fire bombs, and magic spells can be used in addition to each character's primary weapon. The game features an optional adrenaline bar which causes health to be lost if it runs out, and players are forced to continuously seek out and win battles to keep the adrenaline bar full.

## Development

*Nightmare Creatures* was the first video game to be created with LibSys, Kalisto's own proprietary 3D development program. The game's environments were modeled from 19th century maps and blueprints.

## Release

Bidding for the game's publication rights was reportedly fierce. Initially Mindscape was slated to be the publisher, but the publication rights to *Nightmare Creatures* were acquired by Activision just before the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo. *Nightmare Creatures* was published by Activision in North America and Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe.

In North America the PlayStation version was promoted with a television commercial featuring a voice-over by Maurice LaMarche.

While the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows versions are essentially the same, the Nintendo 64 version saw a handful of minor changes. Given the limited storage capacity of the Nintendo 64's cartridge system, all full-motion videos were removed. Brief segments of scrolling text are used at the game's start and following each level to advance the plot. The platforming elements were made much easier in the Nintendo 64 version, and the health-depleting adrenaline meter could also be turned off in the options menu, allowing players to explore the environments at a more leisurely pace. Also graphically, the Nintendo 64 version is more crisp, clear and detailed than the PlayStation version, without the pixelization and texture-warping.

The PlayStation version was released in Japan on February 26, 1998.