A Nightmare on Elm Street
System: NES
Release Date: October 1990
Developer: Rare
Publisher: LJN
Genre: Action
1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you in A Nightmare on Elm Street! Kids are dying in their sleep and no one has a reason except for natural causes. But that’s not what’s really happening. Freddy Krueger is back to terrorizing the neighborhood and must be stopped at all cost. Go through seven levels picking up all of Freddy’s bones so you can dump them in the incinerator and destroy his presence for good.
You take control of a teenager and can be joined by up to three others for simultaneous play! I watched James and Mike Mondays to get an idea of what four players look like. It looks like a fight among friends waiting to happen. You start on the street in front of a house that is inaccessible despite how long you press up. As you run along to the next house, there are enemies in your path. You can punch them with the B Button or jump over them with the A Button. You’re honestly better off jumping over them most of the time.
Once you find a house, you have to remember to hold up long enough to run in. This is where you need to do a bunch of platforming. Scattered about the level are a number of Freddy’s bones. You need to collect them all to move forward to the next part of the level. Other than bones, you can find a cup of coffee to refill your sleep meter. There are also three other icons showing a runner, yin yang, and mage hat that you want to collect. The platforming is a bit of a chore in the real world, but if you let your sleep meter tick all the way down, you head into the dream world where Freddy is lurking.
You can switch among four different personas in the dream world. Besides your normal self, you can become an acrobat, ninja, or necromancer. The acrobat allows you to jump high, run fast, and throw a javelin. The ninja becomes your MVP, despite the Shuriken having a short range, because when you jump, you throw a flying kick. The Necromancer launches fire magic across the screen and can hover a bit when jumping. The hover is important in later levels. If you spend too long in the dream world, the music changes to the Freddy rhyme and at the end you must battle him one on one. Beating him allows you to wake up and continue your quest.
The end of each level has a piece of Freddy as the boss. There isn’t really much variety to the bosses. The first two are on a chain and you have to avoid his attacks and respond with your own. The others bounce around the screen in a set pattern and can drop enemies. Trying to fight the boss in the real world is challenge mode, you’re much better off going to the dream world and gaining powers. The final challenge is a boss gauntlet before you take Freddy on like you do when you spend too long in the dream world.
Graphics: 2.5
I think it looks pretty good, overall. The bones sometimes blend in with the backgrounds.
Sound: 2.5
Music is good enough, especially the Freddy rhyme, and sound effects aren’t terrible.
Gameplay: 2.0
The character is really floaty and weak in the real world, but is much more fun to play with in the dream world.
Difficulty: 2.0
The levels aren’t that difficult, you get a generous number of lives and continues. Attrition can get you, though.
Fun Factor: 2.0
I didn’t hate my experience of fighting Freddy.
Overall Rating: 2.2
A Nightmare on Elm Street earns a C+. For an LJN game, it’s not that bad. I’m not saying it’s good, but it’s quite playable.