 SNASS DRUNK! A long while back, I took a look at a brand new Super Nintendo game that was created in 2017, titled Unholy Knight the Darkness Hunter, and the idea, at least, seemed promising. It's a one-on-one fighting game developed by veterans of the genre from SNK. But the game is a total stink bomb, the resolution is tiny, the framerate is terrible, and while the ideas presented in the gameplay seemed like they could work, Unholy Knight just fell flat. Thankfully, however, there are others out there carrying the Super Nintendo torch and creating new games for it, like Nightmare Busters. And hey, what do you know, this game is actually good. Nightmare Busters was developed by a company called Arcade Zone, and was planned for a 1995 release, but a lack of funding caused the game to get shelved. A rom of the game leaked to the internet, as those things tend to happen, and suddenly, by around 2013, there was sufficient demand for this one to get a proper release. And sure enough, it did, later that year, thanks to Super Fighter Team, and it was released complete with a box and book and everything. And, technically speaking, this is a quote-unquote real Super Nintendo game, available for both NTSC and PAL regions. Unfortunately, the game has been out of stock for quite some time, but there is a mailing list you can sign up for, so you can be notified if it becomes available again. So, how is the game itself? Nightmare Busters is a 2D side-scrolling run-and-gun title, and this genre is usually hit or miss on the Super Nintendo. For every great run-and-gun game like Contra 3 or Sunset Riders, there was a boring mediocre one like Gun Force or Doomtroopers. Nightmare Busters, however, is high quality. It may not reach the greatness of stuff like Contra 3, but this is still a quality playthrough. What stands out right away are the visuals. The sprites are huge and detailed, and do a fine job of taking advantage of the Super Nintendo's strengths. As you can see, you're tossing an infinite number of projectiles at an endless number of enemies, kind of like the Genesis edition of Adventures of Batman and Robin, or sticking with Super Nintendo, like if you took the Pocky and Rocky games and switched them from top down to side-scrolling. You play as a leprechaun, Flynn if you're playing single-player, with Floyd occupying the second-player spot when playing two-player, and you run to the right and shoot nightmares that are populating the dreams of children or something. You can upgrade your projectile a number of times, including weapons that either shoot at an angle or cover your blindside. There's a charge attack that you can use a limited number of times, that you're usually better off saving for a boss fight, there's a sliding attack, and there's other secondary power-ups you can pick up like bombs and cyclones. The level design complements your character's range and abilities very well throughout, but, as you might expect, this game is really hard. And like I said, it's two-player co-op, so if you want to make any progress in this one, it's best to utilize a second player if you can. Because playing single-player, oof, this one takes quite a bit of practice. Despite the game being finished in 2013, it's very much a 90s Super Nintendo game. You may have infinite ammo, but the enemies infinitely respond, so you have to be constantly firing and be cognizant of spawn points. You get three hit points per life, four lives per continue, and three continues across six long levels. No saves or passwords, however, but there is a stage select code that you can look up. One aspect of this game that got a little on my nerves is how taking a hit completely ruins your momentum. You get knocked back onto the ground, and you sit there for just a second before getting back up. I don't know, it really takes you out of the flow of the game. I just feel like it's a bit too long of a pause there, but that's just me. I do like, however, when you respawn on a new life, you get to control where you drop down into the action, kind of like in a game like Joe and Mac, so that's a nice touch. So yeah, Nightmare Busters is a well-made game. It's simple, albeit very difficult, and it does something few other Super Nintendo games do. It succeeds at the run and gun formula. It's challenging, but not ridiculously unfair, and there's plenty of weapons and upgrades to discover. It's an unusual blend of European art style and Japanese pocky and rocky style gameplay. Take one glance at this game and you immediately know it's Nightmare Busters, so while the gameplay may not be anything new, it still looks and feels unique. So yeah, unlike On Holy Night, Nightmare Busters is well worth a play through, especially with the second player. So how do you play this game? Well, considering Super Fighter Team has an all likelihood cranked out their last physical release of this one, I have to end this video by saying, check out this one any way you can.