Amstrad Action


Nightbreed

Author: Adam Peters
Publisher: The Hit Squad
Machine: Amstrad CPC464/664/6128

 
Published in Amstrad Action #84

Nightbreed

This'll be an Ocean movie licence then. Not one of those pick 'n' mix types though, but a proper game. A beat-'em-up sort of thing, in which you play a brain-washed psychiatric patient innocent of the crime you've been charged with, which your doctor has committed (got that?).

There are a few keys to collect along the way, but mainly the game is about wandering through brightly-coloured fantasy landscapes, trying to avoid various nicely-drawn, nasty-intentioned monsters. 'Trying' is the operative word, since many of the enemies and hazards are impossible not to take hits from - it's just a case of trying to keep the hits to the minimum.

As well as the various monsters, you've also got the whole of the Canadian National Guard after you. They've got guns. They don't intend to read you your rights. The game is fairly repetitive (in common with virtually all beat-'em-ups) and quite easy (you progress a fair whack further each time you play). The whole thing follows the plot of the Clive Barker book/film quite faithfully.

Night Breed: The Action Game

Fans of beat-'em-ups (sad, sad people) or big Clive Barker afficionados might find something to cheer here. We found it all a bit cheerless though, and we'll gladly despatch our copy of the game to the first person who can write in and tell us how to spell the word 'vapid'.

Original release: March 1991
Original publisher: Ocean
Original score: 78% (AA67)

Verdict

Overall 43%
Walk-of-the-mill beat-'em-up, with loads of impossible-to-avoid foes and double loads of mindless punching.

Adam Peters

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