During INDIE Live Expo 2024, developer DDDistortion showcased a new trailer for their retro style horror shooter title, Nightmare Operator.
The game aims to be a mix of an action shooter with elements of fighting game mechanics as players take on youkai. This brand new trailer reveals the new design for the main character of the game.
Here’s a rundown of the game, plus the trailer:
The year is 2036. Humanity has declined. Misha is a Public Safety Operator: a contractor for the Provisional Government tasked with hunting Youkai, and protecting the Quarantine City of Shin-Chiba. Within the haunted ruins of Tokyo, she unearths a mystery that could unmake what remains of civilization.
NIGHTMARE OPERATOR is an action-horror shooter about hunting Youkai in the haunted ruins of Tokyo. Combat fuses the tense shooting gameplay of classic survival horror, with the skill-based mechanics and execution of fighting games and spectacle fighters.
Features
- Clutch System – Misha’s Modular Gun allows her to rapidly switch between Weapon Modules using command inputs inspired by fighting games. Efficiently dispatching Youkai requires maintaining a cool head and skillful execution, even as the horrifying creatures close in.
- Legends Brought to Life – The Youkai that Misha encounters are drawn from urban legends, and Japanese folklore. However, they don’t appear exactly as depicted in the well-known stories. These are the monsters the stories are based on.
- Powerful Status Effects – Weapon Modules are imbued with various elemental damage types that allow Misha to inflict statuses such as “freeze”, “stun”, or “bleed” upon Youkai. Learning when your next shot is going to send a Youkai reeling or freeze them solid is key to survival.
- Build Your Own Combos – While exploring the ruins of Tokyo, Misha will discover and build up an impressive arsenal of Weapon Modules. Weapon Modules can be slotted into different “Command Slots” in Misha’s Modular Gun, allowing players to choose which command inputs to assign to what modules.
- Lo-Rez Tokyo – The locations Misha explores in NIGHTMARE OPERATOR are all based on the real-world districts and neighborhoods of Tokyo. Famous landmarks and beloved streets are realized in a beautiful low-poly aesthetic that is inspired by the early days of 3D video games.
- Kanpai! – Between missions, Misha and her team have nomikai at a local izakaya in the Quarantine City. These sections will allow players to explore archives from the broken world of NIGHTMARE OPERATOR, interact with the inhabitants of the Quarantine City, and drool over low-poly izakaya fare.
Nightmare Operator is set to launch for PC (via Steam).
