Nitemare-3D

aka: Hugo 4, Hugo's Nitemare 3-D, Nite Mare 3D, Nitemare 3-D, Nitemare-3D: The Complete Trilogy
Moby ID: 2595
DOS Specs

Description official descriptions

Nitemare-3D is a horror-themed first-person shooter and a sequel to the adventure game Hugo III: Jungle of Doom. Hugo's girlfriend Penelope is kidnapped by the nefarious Dr. Hamerstein, who intends to conduct terrifying experiments on her. Hugo has to explore the Doctor's twisted mansion, travel through underground caverns, and eventually face the villain himself and rescue his sweetheart.

The gameplay mostly follows the conventions of Wolfenstein 3D, which the game also resembles visually. However, its gameplay is somewhat more slow-paced and includes heavier doses of puzzle-solving. There are four weapons in the game - plasma gun, magic wand, pistol and auto-repeat plasma gun; enemies may be vulnerable to a certain weapon and resistant against others. The levels are maze-like and contain secret areas. The first episode was released as shareware; two commercial episodes followed, for a total of thirty levels.

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (DOS version)

5 People (4 developers, 1 thanks)

Design / Program
Artwork
Music
Manual Design
Special thanks

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 20% (based on 1 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.3 out of 5 (based on 37 ratings with 4 reviews)

Is this a game or a sick joke?

The Good
Ummm....besides the fact that I was able to delete the game? Nothing, really.

The Bad
Everything about it! I've never seen such a sad excuse for a game in my life!

Ok, seriously...WHAT WAS THIS GUY THINKING?? The whole entire game is a waste of time and programming! It's besides the fact that this was made in 1994, but to have an engine that even Wolfenstein 3D (a 1992 game) surpasses in terms of speed and functionality? What is that!? And now to add insult to injury: if this is a haunted house, then why is it these "monsters" have got to be the SADDEST bunch of low-lifes I've ever seen? Their animation is an abomination, their designs are horribly childish, and they don't scare me...in fact, I laugh and mock them when I see them come out! All of the rest of the graphics are terrible, and can I ask WHY the monsters don't turn, run backwards, or even walk to the side properly?

And don't think I've stopped there! There's also the matter of sounds, music, and gameplay. Here's the gameplay side: bad child's version of Wolf3D. The "creep" function is totally non-essential and WAY too slow. The clue are too obvious for the puzzles, and the maps are about as tough as breaking an eggshell by smashing it with your fist. The monsters also sometimes do way, WAY too much damage with their attacks, and I hated that grabbing another of one particular weapon always reset the ammo for it to 50!! ARRRRGH!! Plus, the bosses are just plain dumb. You can literally kill them with your eyes shut, both of your arms broken in three different places, and your entire right hand non-functioning because your right arm being broken in three different places paralyzed your whole damn arm. Forgive the Dennis Miller-esque rant, but I had to get that off my chest. In short: SUCKY GAMEPLAY!!

Sound and music? Real simple and to the point: get out a large soup spoon and gouge your ears off, then tape up the holes. It's much more enjoyable than that pathetic music score that can drive anyone to near suicide.

And just for special mention: Hugo looks like a little monkey boy in this game. No, really! He does! Take a closer look!

The Bottom Line
After seeing this, anyone will feel glad that there are GOOD 3D shooters out there. Ones that are much better than this pile of dog poo. Avoid this game at all costs possible unless you happen to be into things like scarification, self-mutilation, or are a masochist.

DOS · by Satoshi Kunsai (2020) · 2002

Fun 3D shooting game, it could have been better.

The Good
It's great to roam around a bunch of levels shooting evil monsters and scientists. You also get to enjoy discovering what is hidden in the wall panels (just can't find them all). It's sorta like a version of "Doom" my mom will let me play. Besides the game gets more fun as you keep on improving on your shooting skills.

The Bad
Well poor graphics, surprisingly strange sounds that keep popping up when there is no enemy around you and the poor effects of the moving wall panels (sorta like the poor background space effects in the old Gamera movie "Destroy all Planets"). So I must admit the creation for a 1994 game just isn't as fun as most 9 games.

The Bottom Line
Hey it's not horrid. Others may hate it but if you like 3D shooting give it a try.

DOS · by Andrew Shepard (1389) · 2005

A more obscure, seemingly unprofessional, however fun game.

The Good
It's fun, and that's what games are supposed to be, right? It is certainly difficult, and the music was rather catchy and enjoyable, and I would say the soundtrack is the best element in this game. It does get annoying after a while, though, they really should have had many more different songs for the levels. I also always admire (this aspect of ) a game that has a decent-length demo. Nitemare 3D has a good length demo. Heck, it takes a while to beat!

The Bad
Gray ceilings, and this is not the only game to feature that. It was definitely not the classic that other FPS(s) are, but it is still fun. However, if you play the demo, since it is so lengthy, unless you're really, really hooked, (and I doubt you would be this crazy) I would not recommend trying to purchase it, as it is rare, and you could get a better game for cheaper. (probably)

The Bottom Line
Not you're average FPS. (I mean that in a slightly demeaning way) Fun, if you can get it free, it's not worth you're allowance, though.

DOS · by J. David Taylor (27) · 2003

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

Trivia

Art style change

With the DOS v2.0 release, many of the hand-drawn sprites were replaced with pre-rendered graphics (sprites created from 3D models). This includes most monsters and the player's face on the HUD. Items and level decorations remained unchanged. The updated graphics are also used in the newer Windows releases of the game.

German ban

On January 31, 1996, Nitemare-3D (Windows) was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS. For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.

Awards

Winner of the Ziff-Davis European Shareware award for Best Game.

Analytics

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Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 2595
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by wossname.

Windows 3.x added by vedder.

Additional contributors: Indra was here, The Ring Hawk, formercontrib, Crawly, MrFlibble, Kayburt.

Game added November 8, 2000. Last modified February 27, 2023.