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From Eastasiasoft and Undev Games is a game that will need a little bit of explanation. Luckily, that is what I am here for, so hold on tight.
Doug’s Nightmare is billed as part twin-stick shooter and part beat ‘em up, and while this description is somewhat generous, I’ll explain more about the way the game plays later on in the review. What we need to establish here though is whether Doug’s Nightmare is a dream to play…
The story of Doug’s Nightmare is somewhat odd, to say the least. We play as the titular Doug, who just happens to be a banana. Yes, a banana, but not just any banana – we are a banana fuelled by anxiety and inner demons. As a result, Doug’s sleep is haunted by bad dreams, and so he decides to do what any self respecting piece of fruit would do. He decides to fight back against his nightmares all in hope that by defeating them, he can discover a modicum of inner peace. There have been sillier premises for a game, but none are coming to mind off-hand.
So, what does Doug’s Nightmare look and sound like? Well, the levels, and indeed the story panels that explain what is happening all appear to have been done in a cartoony style. Doug is portrayed as a banana on the edge, and indeed he seems only one more setback from a real Falling Down moment. Luckily, Doug has decided to channel his aggression into the inhabitants of his dreams, a wacky looking bunch of creatures ranging from small files right up to room filling bosses, calling at all stations in between. The enemies have a similar design aesthetic to Doug, and all move about quite nicely, however, the graphics on display aren’t going to cause any Xbox Series X to go into heat shock; they are simple in style, but quite effective in execution.
The sounds are minimal as well, with only the squeaks of dying foes and the shooting noises of any of Doug’s many weapons to report. All in all, what you’re looking at here is a minimalist approach, but it works for the subject material.
Doug’s Nightmare is billed as a twin-stick shooter combined with a beat ‘em up – but it really isn’t. Doug can use a punch attack if he has no other armaments available, but he uses the punch the same way as he uses a gun – you still have to aim to hit anything with Doug’s fist, so it really feels like just another weapon in a twin-stick game. With that claim debunked, the rest of the gameplay is pretty good, to be honest.
Each level that Doug finds himself in, as he goes deeper into his own mind, has a distinct look and different enemies to deal with. As you’d expect, the further you go, the tougher the enemies become, not only in the amount of hits they can withstand before expiring, but also in the attacks that they employ. You’ll fast discover simple melee characters, before coming up against suicide bombs and mushrooms with guns. Whatever, you will be kept on your toes.
As Doug explores the various levels, the objective is always the same. All you need to do is find the room with the boss in it, defeat said boss by the application of violence, and then enter the spiral each one leaves behind, heading to the next level and starting the process all over again. However, you shouldn’t make a beeline for the boss, as exploring every room on the level can get you nice new loot. It’s easy to explore too, as in Doug’s Nightmare there is a map that looks like it has been ripped straight from the early ‘90s; a series of boxes joined by corridors.
As Doug wanders, he can not only find new weapons, such as a staff that fires slowly but powerfully, or a gun that fires fast but weak bullets, but he’ll also happen upon new outfits and cosmetic items that can help or hinder him. There are a range of things, like trainers that let him move faster, as well as a number of hats and shoes to complete outfits – running around as a banana dressed up as the grim reaper is quite amusing, even if Doug does move far too slowly. Getting the right items to suit your playstyle is obviously key, so in short, explore all the rooms! It helps that a lot of the achievements for the game are also related to finding a certain number of cosmetic items, or killing a specific amount of baddies, so you are constantly working towards something.
The actual gameplay is bog standard top-down, twin-stick shooter. If you have played one of these games before, you’ll be right at home. Basically, the left stick moves Doug about, and the right stick aims where the bullets from the guns or punches from the fists go – and then you shoot with RT. And that is pretty much it.
It means that Doug’s Nightmare is almost perfectly middle of the road. It isn’t the worst twin-stick shooter in the world, but neither is it anywhere near the best. If you’re looking for some fun moments then it delivers, but for the most part this plays out as “shoot the enemies, move to a new room, shoot the enemies, find the boss”. There isn’t really anything new here.