Deep Deep Deep Nightmare Review

Developer: Nato Games

Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Genre: Action, Adventure

Publisher: QUByte Interactive

Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is a 2D top-down shooter. The game was developed by Nato Games and published by QUByte Interactive. Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is similar to games like Brotato and The Binding of Isaac. This game review was done for the Windows version, but the game is also available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.

Deep Deep Deep Nightmare starts the game with you playing as a young boy who ignores his mom’s warning and eats cake at midnight. As he heads to bed, he finds that he has been taken into a nightmarish realm. His nightmares come to life, and as he cuddled with his toy gun whilst he was scared, he found that it was time to shoot down all the monsters.

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The controls are simple and easily remappable, and the game itself is very user-friendly. The controls themselves are not overly complicated, mainly consisting of shooting and dodging mechanics. The controls are very responsive, making the gameplay smooth, which enhances the experience.

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The visuals for Deep Deep Deep Nightmare take inspiration from Brotato and The Binding of Isaac, resembling a colourful, minimal cartoonish art style. As someone who has previously played The Binding of Isaac, I noticed that the monsters in Deep Deep Deep Nightmare played similarly to those in The Binding of Isaac. The visuals focus on a top-down arena shooter style where the monsters are quirky and each has their distinct behaviours. For instance, you come in occurrence to monsters that you shoot, which will shoot out other projectiles on death. Some bosses’ behaviours are also similar to those seen in Isaac, but I like that the differing stance for this game is much simpler and straightforward. The visuals are clear and quirky and look more like something out of a child’s sketchbook. Everything is minimal with simple facial expressions and abstract features. The music is very amped and funky, which goes well with the chaotic environment that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Deep Deep Deep Nightmare may look similar to The Binding of Isaac, but the gameplay differs slightly. The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike-dungeon crawler game where you progress from room to room, which are randomly generated while descending into lower levels. On the other hand, Deep Deep Deep Nightmare does not have a room-to-room exploration system but rather rotates monster waves that progressively get harder and longer. In Binding of Isaac, you can explore through different rooms, which have several monsters for you to kill. Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is a lot simpler, making the experience much more enjoyable for everyone. The simplicity comes from the gameplay and the tools you are provided with.

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In Deep Deep Deep Nightmare, you start off with three guns: a toy, a shotgun and a machine. The toy gun has infinite ammo, to which you can always easily revert back to and the others have limited ammo. As you defeat several monster waves, you get additional ammo for your guns and extra health. The game does a nice job at balancing the amount of items given to players, and at times will spin a wheel that will drop you additional items or spawn more enemies.

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The main premise of the game is for you to shoot enemies, collect diamond-like currencies, buy guns/spells and defeat bosses to escape from the nightmare. Obtaining money is easy enough to do where you shoot enemies, and the amount builds up with each kill. With the money, you can buy from a range of guns that deal varying amounts of damage, and each acts differently. Additionally, you can buy spells that can give you additional skills that can help you during your runs.

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Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is a simple, fun game. I found myself getting roped into the game right away, and I enjoyed this arcade-like feel. After a few runs, I found myself getting addicted to the game as it was fast-paced and you would hardly restart completely if you lost the game. You progress by finding buttons in the elevator and going to each level. Progressing through each level works similarly to rooms on a floor. After each room is completed, you are brought back to the hub to sort yourself out in order to go back in. The game is fun and quick. Difficulty progresses nicely as well, not making the game too easy or too difficult. There are instances where you feel a run just spawns in so many mobs, but the next run can easily differ, making the gameplay nice.

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If you are looking for an exciting, fast-paced, simple shooter, then this game is just for you. Deep Deep Deep Nightmare lets you survive hoards of monsters while choosing through a selection of arsenal to your liking. There are a total of 13 boss battles to take on. Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is a short but sweet game with childish, quirky visuals and entertaining music. Be sure to check out Deep Deep Deep Nightmare!

Overall: 7.5/10