My Top 100: #57 – Little Nemo: The Dream Master

 

“NES hard” is a term that I’ve heard thrown around a bit over the last few years.  It’s definitely applicable to some of the games we played as little ones, and we were somewhat oblivious to the difficulty of some of what that era had to offer.  Games were hard, and this was the way they were meant to be played.  There was no alternative, so we didn’t question it – we just soldiered on, and beat some incredibly challenging games at a young age.

One winter night in the early 90’s, I got to rent a new Capcom game that had great box art.  At the time, I didn’t know that it was based on an animated movie from Japan, but if the box art was good, then surely the game must have been good too!  I headed home with the game, only to realize that my sister, my sitter for the evening, was bringing me to Oromocto for a hockey game of some sort.  Maybe it was an RCMP game with a bunch of her co-workers, I don’t quite know…  all I can visualize is coming out of the rink, seeing the yellow-lit sign of the rink through a light snowfall, and getting into my sister’s red Pontiac Sunbird.

Aw, man, that car’s tape deck was awesome.  You hit the fast-forward button once, and it would stop fast-forwarding at the end of the song, just like a CD player’s Skip button.  Amazing technology!!!

Anyway, the snow wasn’t that bad that night, but I was quick to run to the living room TV so I could play the game when I got home.

 

 

Little Nemo: The Dream Master wasn’t a game I ever considered that difficult.  It was a definite challenge, no doubt, but every time I rented it, I’d get at least to the final level.  I think I’ve only ever beat it once or twice, but for a game I never owned, that’s not bad.

I played it recently, and I’m fairly certain that the numerous checkpoints, saving where you want, and general simplicity of recent games has made me a terrible retro gamer.  I recently purchased Nemo, played it and subsequently got my keister handed to me!  I couldn’t even beat the second level!  It was pitiful.  Still, a great game is a great game.  With that trademark Capcom music and unique gameplay, there wasn’t much like it.

Nemo is a typical little kid who just won’t stay in bed at night.  Each level is a unique dream world where Nemo seeks out keys in order to open the door, and gain access to the next level.  Some of these keys are extremely well-hidden, but funky new abilities come your way.

Think of it this way…  you know in Mega Man games where you can switch weapons on the fly, just by pausing the game and choosing what you need from the menu?  Think of a similar ability-swapping mechanic, but instead of defeating a Robot Master to gain that power, you have to lull him (or her!) to sleep with candy.  Once they’re sufficiently stuffed, you can take control of their abilities.

Turning into a frog will let you jump to new heights.  A gorilla will prop you up on his shoulders, letting you climb walls and attack enemies with a vicious punch.  A bee helps you fly around and shoot a stinger for attack, while a mole will allow you to dig to new depths and run quickly.  The list goes on!

There are tons of secrets to discover, and every level is different than the last – they’re all separate dreams, so that makes sense.  It will challenge the heck out of you, but you won’t be able to resist its charm.  I guarantee it!