Developer: Undev Games
Publisher: Undev Games, East AsiaSoft Limited
Available On: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & PC
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5
Bodaciously Abysmal!
Well, I finally finished this game. You know, when you hear an out-of-left-field concept like a Banana going on a killing spree, you can’t help but wonder what that will be like. I actually had this thought which is why I wanted to see what was in store for me - just know I played this one through specifically so you don’t have to.
Let’s Talk Graphics!
Don’t get me wrong; if this were 2005, Doug’s Nightmare would be a smash hit on Miniclip.com. Unfortunately, it’s 2024 and graphics have, I believe, progressed beyond the 2D choppy blocks against a dull environment. It reminds me of an entry-level programming class in high school where you would drag and drop commands to create your first “Pong” or 2D walking animation. If they were a side-by-side comparison, I’m not sure I would be able to tell the difference. There have been other games built from scratch in Unity that were more than able to make for an appealing visual experience. Sadly, that’s not what happened here.
Characters were uhh…Interesting!
As I was saying above, the graphics are so far below primitive that this project looks unfinished. I was so badly hoping for a 3D epic, maybe based in a city, or something relatable to draw the player in. That’s not what I got, and instead, it was a 2D game with 2D characters. It reminds me of what a teenager would doodle, for lack of a better word, to peeve off their uninteresting programming teacher. I could actually feel the cookie cutter that was used to create our protagonist, Dougie - poor guy never had a chance. He was only given 2 angles, facing right or left. Hell, only his arm moves an inch when he points his gun up or down.
On a Slightly Brighter Note, Story!
Switching gears a bit, I do have a positive point to make. The storyline itself wasn’t terrible - hilariously brutal is where I landed. The idea of a banana having an internal crisis and killing all its intrusive thoughts was definitely a creative idea that I wasn’t expecting. Because our protagonist Dougie is so down in the dumps, he feels his only salvation is to destroy all of his lingering negativity. These will materialize in the form of shapes, odd creatures, and, for some reason, clocks - maybe that’s to symbolize he’s wasting his precious time?
Doug’s Nightmare is, and I say this loosely, broken into 8 “Missions”. Sounds like a decent bit but each section has you go through what feels like the same exact scenario over and over. They consist of killing a bunch of his bad thoughts, followed by collecting a gun, and finally meeting the Boss of the level which is, weirdly enough, giant powered-up bananas.
After you defeat all 8 bosses, a short movie plays, and you end up in a room with a small box that says “Thanks for Playing”. That’s it. Oh, also, keep in mind the game takes about 2 hours to beat - yes, start to finish. Nevertheless, a gun-wielding banana having a meltdown is kinda cool. Like, as I said, hilariously, brutally cool.
LET’S GET BACK TO WEAPONS!
I touched on this already but my ambitious vision saw a cool character with high-powered guns and maybe a cigar, ripping through a crazy landscape with total disregard for rules. He’d be equipped with the meanest arsenal, like a machine gun or rocket launcher, wreaking havoc upon everything. This, of course, would coincide with a 3D game that would have looked modern. I was envisioning a First Person Shooter perspective, not a side-scroller.
When I began playing, I didn’t expect to start with a melee weapon that feels like a pool noodle. I was swinging blindly at loads of enemies and half the time, the strikes didn’t register. It left me having to repeat tedious fights just to get through the stale level. To be frank, that quickly generated a bad taste in my mouth.
If that isn’t bad enough, the hit detection is awful. You practically have to be standing on top of the enemy. Over time, you can also build up a rapid-fire attack, which in theory would be incredibly helpful. Yeah, an ability is only that when you actually get a chance to use it. This rapid-fire skill can be used only a handful of times. In fact, it’s limited usually once or twice for a boss fight, where it’s most useful. Great.
If you do manage to struggle through the chaos, you eventually find, as I said before, a gun. I’d cheer with joy but the part you aren’t aware of is that it has the firepower of a paper airplane. The bullets fire at the rate of a feather. Only on the final level do you finally receive a gun with a chance to be on par, strength-wise, with an entry-level pistol that you’d get in other titles within the same genre - the balance is abysmal.
Mercifully, the weapons aren’t a total wash. I want to center my frustration and admit that during the later stages of Doug’s Nightmare, Dougie finds a boxing glove. I must say, it does kinda feel like Mike Tyson stepped into the room, which is pretty damn awesome.
Taking out Enemies is an Experience
Okay, so you’ve gotten a non-nerf gun caliber weapon and have gotten an idea of how to progress. You’re probably about an hour in. You start noticing that while the gun gets menial improvements, such as increasing the rate of fire from zero to 0.01, the enemies suddenly wield God-like weaponry. These things can drain your entire health bar pretty much instantaneously. Unless my Nerf gun suddenly earns real bullets, it quickly becomes clear this is a steep, steep, steep uphill battle. I’m in no way saying to make it mind-numbingly easy but definitely make it make sense.
Again, balance needs addressing. I should, at the very minimum, have a fighting chance. I should be able to hold my own against what’s often dozens of enemies at a time. If enemy strength does not want to be changed, maybe add some badass grenades or a one-hit melee weapon I can obtain - I’m thinking something like the knife in Call of Duty - or perhaps a magic bottle of Aspirin that grants a perk because that would go alongside the theme, at least.
The Harsh Reality!
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter whether the concept raised your eyebrow or you were simply curious because I assure you, the idea in this case is a trick. Doug’s Nightmare is not what you think it sounds like. I was initially pumped but this game turned into a dud that just didn’t deliver. Plain and simple. I don’t recommend buying.
DOUG’S NIGHTMARE SHOULD BE AVOIDED!
A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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