When up and coming developers attempt to make a mark in the gaming industry, they often fall flat by trying too hard to achieve it. Nosferatu is a very distinct opposite. While it doesn’t present anything terribly new to the shooter genre, it is a fast, fun and scary romp through a gothic castle in the woods. Sound familiar? Well in a way it is based on the original “Dracula” character which was made famous in the silent film, (you guessed it) Nosferatu. In the game you play a member of a family that has been kidnapped by the evil vampire and it is up to you to save them. The whole game revolves around saving these people, so if it seems a little well, one sided, then you’d be forgiven at first. Nosferatu represents an admirable attempt at taking an old formula and spicing it up with some pretty convincing scares. Take that and the fact that this is a fairly new developer putting it together, and you have a very fun game.

 

Making a first person shooter “scary” is no easy task. Only games like Unreal and Undying have been able to make gamers jump from their seats. It’s a very difficult thing to develop because often times you have no idea what is bound to make someone jolt. So when all else fails, what do you do? Basically make vampires and mutated dogs pop out from around corners, see people flying out windows, and have mutant creatures pounce on you from the ceiling beams. While it sounds hokey and somewhat blah, the end result is quite compelling. People who are easily scared will find this game to be an experiment in mental torture, while more hardcore gamers and horror fanatics will gaze in delight. You start off at the central hub of the castle. From there you follow through a very linear level path that takes you to all the kidnapped family members and inevitably to the final battle later on. The scares definitely make up for the somewhat basic level design, although the way the monsters are laid out is quite interesting. To increase the replay value of the game, the developers have made it so that enemies do not appear in the same spots all the time. So if you happen to die, do not expect to be able to be ready that time. Nosferatu contains a few unique weapons including the cross and stake. You hold down the action button so that the power of the cross is increased and it will deal a bigger effect. With the stake, you also hold down the action key and when ready, you let it rip to pull off a successful quick kill. The game features some small, basic puzzles that include the famous “find key, open door” method. While none of these features seem too compelling on their own, once combined, the game becomes a very fun action game that will sure to keep your interest until the very end. Be wary of the sometimes brutal difficulty level, health isn’t the easiest thing to come by in this game.

 

Graphically, Nosferatu isn’t the biggest eye pleaser in the world. The character models are fairly basic (although have very nice texture details), and the environment is quite angular. What the game excels at is ambience. This is probably the best use of ambience I have seen out of a game all year. In the very beginning of the game, the developers used an old visual style, by making the screen look like it was an old movie reel. I wish they had used the effect throughout the whole game, because the basic environments aren’t too pleasing to the eye. There are many other effects that are used including some good use of lighting and particles. As I said, this isn’t the biggest eye popper in the world, but you can’t be expecting that from every game. Aside from a few framerate hiccups here and there, the game’s visuals are A-OK.

 

The music and sound effects of Nosferatu are quite amazing. The ambient atmospheric effects mixed with a rousing score, make the game very exciting to the ears. No game has reflected its proper time period as this game has. The voice acting isn’t anything to scream about, but it gets the job done, and that’s what counts. The sound effects range from violent screams to painful grunts, and they all attempt to make your blood pressure rise, and most of the time, they do.

 

Nosferatu is an enjoyable romp through an old fashioned castle. It has the entire cache of vampire slaying, family support and blood pressure drugs you will ever need. The game won’t last you more than a week, and re-plays are rarely necessary but it is an excellent effort on the part of the developers. They took the name Nosferatu and turned it into a great action game that uniquely portrays its time period. If you are an action gamer looking for some fun, then Nosferatu is for you.