It’s time for a bit more of a traditional Nerd episode. This time the Nerd is taking a look at Day Dreamin’ Davey on the NES. This is a bit of an interesting case since, instead the usual suspects like LJN being behind this game in some way, it was developed by HAL laboratories, the same company behind the Kirby and Smash Bros. Games, as well as some lesser known but equally awesome titles. With that pedigree you’d think this would be alright, but that isn’t the case here.
So, the game goes like this — you’re Davey, and you keep on day dreaming while in class, turning typical situations that are happening in school into fantastic adventures in your dreams. Sounds like a cool idea, but it doesn’t play so well, starting off with the Nerd not even knowing how to jump over some rocks in the opening level – the Medieval period.! Turns out pressing A + B on the controller is jump, which is quite the non-intuitive command.
Add in much of the usual “bad game trademarks” like enemies just appearing and disappearing as the game sees fit, power ups that really aren’t all that useful, and some odd level design and you get quite the rough base for a game. Still, James completes the first section easily enough, getting lance.. er, pencil, back.
Next up is the Wild West? Yep, apparently when Davey falls asleep while being asked to draw in art class, this is where his mind takes him. James takes this time to point out that art classes are usually a part of school kids enjoy. He mentioned always drawing in school when he was bored, something I did as well, and that being a highlight of the day, which makes me question if our protagonist Davey has narcolepsy or something more severe going on.
Anyway, the goal here is to get a gun and go after a criminal, apparently. This section involves moving a cross-hair over the characters gun in a duel style, shooting the gun out of the enemies hand. Nothing prepares you for this, so, much like the jumping, it’s just kind of a WTF moment.
Next up is ancient Rome (well, really Greece but whatever, the Nerd calls it Rome), with a goal of getting a shield so you can take on cross a bridge safely and fight a Cyclops. In yet another case of flawed game design James thinks he finds it in a tree only for that to not be the case. Turns out there’s a guy he’s supposed to get the shield from, which would be fine, except when he has to get the shield again because he died he learns you aren’t supposed to kill the guy holding the shield, just touch him. Again, not explained in the least.
He takes down the Cyclops only to wind up back in the middle ages to fight a large dark knight. From there, Davey wakes up holding a ruler, gets sent to the principals office, falls asleep again and is back in Rome-Greece dreamland which this time includes a detour through the River Styx! You have to get a coin to cross (as per the Greek Myth) and of course, in bad game design 101 this coin is located in a tree at the beginning of the level forcing the Nerd to backtrack!
The Nerd gets the coin, fights Cerberus, and winds up back in the middle ages. Hey, at least it’s Winter this time. Fight a boss there, go to the wild west again, talk to a prostitute (seriously) then back to Rome-Greece whateverland. Fight Medusa, go to Mt. Olympus and fight enemies that only take damage if their whole body is on screen. It just goes on and on.
James continues the game, finally reaching the very end which is once again the wild west. This after fighting a Dragon! Talk about anticlimactic. The game ends with that same “shoot the gun out of the guys hand” scene, just done 3 times in a row, and the Nerd passes out from the sheer boredom of this game.
Final Rating: 4.0/5
Damn, there is quite a bit of stuff going on in this episode. It’s more of the nature of the game than anything else, in how it just jumps from one thing to another, and James really just focuses on the game the entire time, with only the occasional side rant or funny quip about what’s going on in the story.
Otherwise, it’s very much focused commentary on what the game is actually like to play which is somewhat of a rare treat in many of the later episodes. It has a very classic feel which I enjoy. This game, however, left me feeling a bit mixed — it’s a good review, sure, but it’s a game that just doesn’t really leave a lasting impression. Such is the nature of things, and is a factor James considered when choosing games for episodes.
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