Nightmare in the Dark. The Neo Geo's first release in 2001! It is nice to know that the games are still coming. So, lets take a closer look at this game, yet another non fighter unleashed on the Neo!

   Basically, Nightmare in the Dark is a platform game. When people have asked me to describe it, I say it is basically platform Joust. The gameplay closely resembles Joust, in that the mission is to eliminate all of the enemies on a static screen that is multi level. Unlike Joust though, it takes multiple hits to eliminate an enemy. Basically you are armed with fire, you keep firing at an enemy until he turns into a ball of fire, then you can pick up the ball and throw it! This kills any other enemies in the balls path, hit them all, and you will get a bonus! Although, you have a certain time in which you can through this ball of fire, otherwise the flames will disappear, and you will need to caught this enemy again!

   The game is broken down to 5 stages, 5 levels per stage for a total of  25 levels. Each stage keeps the same background with the platform organization changing as you advance through the levels. On the fifth level of each stage you must defeat a boss. Basically 3 to 8 fireball hits kills him (your fire does no damage to him though, so you need to kill all of the enemies he produces, and use them as your ammo!).

   Some problems with this game? Will, I like the fact that if you drop off the bottom of the screen that you will appear at the top, but I think you should be able to go through the sides of the screen, to move from one side to the other, like in Joust. Also, the game itself has some issues with graphics. At points there are glitches with some sprites similar to problems exhibited on the NES back in the day! I just happened to notice this while fighting a boss, and it bothered me. It is obvious that this game was programmed a long time back, and has been held for a while. I  do not think these problems detract from the gameplay at all, but these are observations I have made.

   What is good about the game? Originality. Something new and different on the Neo Geo hardware! Will the game do very well? I doubt it, because in these days everyone wants textures and polygons! I think the games is a nice change from everything else out there, maybe if it is in an arcade somewhere, someone will give it a whirl! It is a fun little game in my opinion, but not a game for everyone unfortunately. I like the design they used for the game, this would be perfect for a halloween released. 
I also think the music works well with this game.

   So, on a scale of 1 to 10 compared to other Neo Geo carts, I would give this game a 6.5, mostly based on its originality. Where does it lose points? It lacks reply value, and many of the stages are way too easy. Also, it should be longer, 25 levels is too short, I would have loved to have seen 60, or maybe even 90 levels to that game. Add to the longevity. Also, a password feature for continuing would have been another nice feature. And, yes, I never try to rate Neo games! If I were to release this on home cart, I would place the game in a transparent orange case to follow along the Halloween theme! 

   Anyway, most people will pass on this game, but if you want to give a classic platform game a try, pick it up, you might like it!