Nightbreed: The Interactive Movie PC

After a pretty good platformer, Impact Software Development decided to follow the blow and prepare another game based on the story of Nightbreed, directed by Clive Barker. The programme is subtitled The Interactive Movie and, like the prototype, tells the story of Aaron Boone, suspected of a series of murders of a young man who, tormented by nightmares, finds himself in a gloomy and devastated cemetery. It turns out that just below it lies the fantastic land of Midian, inhabited by monstrous-looking people halfway between heaven and hell. Wanting unwillingly, Boone becomes their ally and soon afterwards, as a mystical warrior, he becomes a true serial killer and his fanatical band of oppressors.

This time the authors decided to cross genres and to the skill sections, which can be found in Nightbreed, they added elements characteristic for adventures. The subtitle of The Interactive Movie can be treated with a pinch of salt, because we won't be watching any film. The point is simply that the game clings to the plot of Clive Barker's painting and allows you to experience the same adventures as its main character.

Between the available Nightbreed locations, the player will move with the help of a car, which is controlled by pointing the cursor at the next intersections. From time to time you may come across a police blockade (let's not forget that our hero is being prosecuted on charges of committing a series of murders). Since stoppage causes the end of the game and it is not worth turning back, all firewalls should be forced through. Police officers will generally not remain indebted to you and can shoot at your vehicle by making holes in the tank (faster fuel consumption) or in the tyres (slower movement). Generally, both of them do not have much influence on further gameplay, because the damage can be repaired in numerous petrol stations. When we finally reach one of the three locations (police station, cemetery, psychiatric hospital), we can start exploring them using the commands available on the screen. At this point, all the flaws of the game come to the top.

If among the available commands we indicate which one the authors think is wrong, the main character dies and the game ends automatically. Considering that the program does not allow to save the state of the game in any way, it is necessary to restart the struggle. The right choice usually leads to one of the numerous arcade sections, which, if not included, also means the death of our hero.

Nightbreed: The Interactive Movie is a controversial product. On the one hand, we have a pleasant audiovisual setting and a fantastic screenplay based on a good film - on the other hand, there is little playability, requiring from the user a huge amount of patience. Impact Software Development intended to publish another game based on the Nightbreed story, but the publisher, Ocean, eventually abandoned the project. Considering the low popularity of The Interactive Movie and the devastating reviews of the program in the professional press, it's no wonder why it happened.

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Last updated on 10 December 2007