If your parents were anything like mine then, as a kid, they used to tell you various little white lies that you can still remember even now. You know the ones: Don’t go swimming thirty minutes after you’ve eaten, carrots are good for your eyesight, it’s illegal to drive with the interior lights on in the car, the list goes on and on. Well, that’s where Deep Deep Deep Nightmare starts.
Deep Deep Deep Nightmare‘s main character (unnamed in game, I called him Bob) is warned by their mother not to have such a big meal before bed, because they’d end up having horrid nightmares. If Bob did what they were told, there wouldn’t be a video game: so guess what he does?
We awaken bound in chains, looking around in fear and are shown the tutorial screen. This sets us up for the rest of the game, and it doesn’t hold your hand: Here’re the buttons, game on. Not that the controls need to be anymore complicated than this. Immediately, the art style and bullet hell gameplay reminds me of The Binding of Isaac, just not as gross.
- If you enjoyed Binding of Issac, why not check out our review of the Binding of Issac: Four Souls board game?
You start with three weapons: A base toy gun with unlimited ammo, a machine gun and a shotgun. Enemies drop ammo and health pickups and you also have a roll move, which affords you some invincibility frames, as well as putting some distance between you and the bad guys. After an introductory boss fight, you’re given an elevator button, and are taken to the hub world.
Our friend Bob is one hell of a lucid dreamer. We can spend a currency we earn as we mow down hordes of enemies on new weapons, spells that can buff us during combat, and there’s even some cosmetic options for us via an old-style gumball machine. Naturally that’s where I headed first; I got myself a little ducky. I called him Steve.
Once you’ve had your fill, ring the bell and the elevator descends to head to the next level. The levels progress in a linear fashion, and every few levels there is a big boss who drops you a boss coin. There isn’t much nuance to the combat. Dodge projectiles and enemies, keep your finger on the trigger and swap weapons when your ammo gets low. Each level progresses in waves, so you get a few seconds to yourself to breathe, collect any ammo and health drops, and position yourself to start the next wave.
Each wave also has a chance of introducing something good or bad, shown by a clock at the top of the level. If it’s good then you get ammo and health pickups: if it’s bad, some form of environmental trap will appear to cut off parts of the arena. These can include floor spikes, land mines, bombs, or cobwebs to slow your speed. I can understand that this makes each wave feel different, even during failure (as the enemy spawns do not change), but it can feel awful to have a run ended by a trap that spawns underneath you.
While we’re on the complaint bus, I had some issues with trying to push and activate abilities at the same time. Trying to dodge roll and activate my equipped spell often didn’t work. The dodge roll also meant I was trying to roll into health and ammo pickups, but would go right through them. I don’t know if this is intentional, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it should be. Even with these gripes aside, its charming simplicity kept me trying with each failure. ‘Next run is the run’, I’d tell myself. Level 1-4 especially gave me a lot of trouble… until I bought myself the Knife Gun.
Most games have that one weapon or loadout that always seems that little bit better than the rest, and the Knife Gun is no exception here. The knives it fires travel right through enemies, piercing them and travelling all the way across the map, making it so much easier to clear the screen. This was the gun that finally broke me through that barrier.
Each of my failed attempts in Deep Deep Deep Nightmare didn’t always feel like a waste of time either. Earned currency is kept between each run, so at least you were earning currency towards a new weapon or spell as you kept going, but it does mean you will end up grinding to grab the most powerful weapons and power ups early so you don’t have to worry about them later in the game. Having all the spells and guns available right away is a good thing for player expression but maybe a bad thing for economy. Having things locked behind level progression might not be a bad thing in this instance.
Some permanent upgrades for Bob might not go amiss either. Maybe increases to base health, increases to the length of our invincibility frames, more base ammo when we start, spell cool down reduction: These things would be very welcome and give us something else to use our currency on. Do we make Bob a bit harder to kill, or do we increase his firepower and utility? Choices like that will only help deepen the experience.
Then again, earlier I used the phrase charmingly simplistic, and that’s what it does very well. It’s a core concept fleshed out, and perhaps that’s all it needs to do. I personally feel like it could add more depth to its upgrade system, which would only benefit the game, but its core system is solid enough.
If you’re a fan of bullet hell games such as The Binding of Issac, or even Cult of the Lamb, I think you’d rather enjoy Deep Deep Deep Nightmare. It’s something small and simple to chew on, and it’ll keep you going between each level. Next run will be the run.
Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is now available on Xbox One and Series S/X, Playstation, Nintendo Switch and Steam.