Monster of the Week: Downtown Nightmare (Mary Skelter)

Origin: Mary Skelter Nightmares (PC, VITA)

Appearance: The creature is defined as a nightmare by name and especially by design. In the first form, the monster provides the most nightmarish appearance. The giant round face is watching directly to the player, with big, swollen and red eyes. A long and sticky tongue comes out from a creepy and distorted mouth, like if was a sort of evil clown. The tongue is also its main weapon, and would not be nice to be whipped to death by that horrible thing. But this is nothing, because the monster is full of nightmarish details. A crown of alive rats sits on top of its head, maybe the most disturbing detail, especially if watched animated. The monster also wears giant velvet shoes, for no apparent reason. Analyzing the figure in details, you can see how specific elements appear defined as “Parts”, specifically: 1) Masquerade Mask, 2) Masquerade Makeup and 3) Velvet Shoes. As now should be clear, the monster is wearing a disguise that, after being destroyed, will reveal its disgusting real form.

In the second image you can see the real form in all its gruesome details. The monsters is a sort of deformed and monstrous foot, so bizarre as disturbing. A sort of wound is opened in the middle, showing many eyes beneath, while small tentacles look to be its nails. The only element that persists in the two forms is the long purple tongue.

Symbolism: The monster is defined as a Nightmare, and this is clear in its design. The creature is immortal and will continuously stalk the main characters. The creature embodies the nightmare in the most proper and direct way. It is composed by several and horrific details, pasted together in a grotesque and apparently random way, like a proper incoherent nightmare. However, with a deeper analysis, the unconscious details start to have a meaning.  An important clue of its design and what it represents lies beneath the location where it is encountered. The monster is the Downtown Nightmare, and the Downtown is represented as the area of the city specific for the night life. The area is where people goes to enjoy and have fun, where the hidden pleasures take place. This is why the creature is wearing a Masquerade makeup and a mask, like the masks of anonymity that the people searching for pleasure in Downtown are wearing. The crown of rats is a symbolism for dirtiness, also a quiet common feature of the chaotic and noisy areas of a city where night life is common. This creature is really one of the best representations of a nightmare: incoherent, maybe bizarre, but really disturbing.

LUCAH born of a dream: a psychedelic and nightmarish Dark Souls

If you ever dreamed of a psychedelic and surreal Dark Souls, now your dreams are true.

The comparison is only formal, because Lucah is not a mere imitation, but an amazing surprise, a beautiful and polished game at any level, with a unique identity. The core of the game is a pure action RPG, but with a mysterious and cryptic atmosphere. The plot is difficult to define, full of symbolisms and hermetic sequences. To make it simple, this is the story of a boy having to deal with his demons, both literally and metaphorically.

The art style is unique and interesting, with bizarre animations on time with the rhythm of the music. The art is simple but very effective, with empty environments and stylised enemies. It looks exactly like if a little child is trying to draw complex and abstract entities, using only his imagination and his limited understanding to give them a form. While playing Lucah, you will be transported in a nightmarish and surreal world painted by the eyes of a child.

The atmosphere is surreal, cryptic and often quite creepy, full of weird characters and enemies. The creatures to face are abstract entities made of lines that shapes in the forms of knights, insects or other abominations. Especially the bosses are interestingly shaped in their abstractiveness, and the fact that they have a proper name like the Forsaken and the Hollow will make you think about what they truly represent. Some characters are friendly and can be engaged in weird dialogues. I was very surprised when the merchant end the conversation citing the cowboy from the movie Mulholland Drive (since I am a huge fan of the movie, you can also check for a character analysis of the cowboy in the article Mulholland Drive: the Cowboy and the Fourth wall).

The combat style is fast but reasoned. The main character can parry, dodge, shoot bullets and attack in melee. Several combat styles and ranged abilities can be combined to face different situations. Specific combat styles are for example suited to attack from far, dealing less damage but keeping high the defence, while others are slow but able to inflict heavy damages. Two styles can be equipped together to easy switch between them; for example you can decide to use a close range heavy damage technique only if an enemy is stun. The range attacks are based on familiars, that can be collected exploring the world. The projectiles differ for properties and stamina consumed, which can be recharged using close range attacks. There is a very good balance between attacking from far and in melee, since if one stamina bar is depleted you can refill it with the other attacks. The combat system is very personalised and offers a lot of combination to adapt to your style. Lucah is difficult to master but rewarding, since many bosses or sections can be very challenging.

The level up system is similar to Dark Souls. Experience is collected after defeating enemies and can be used at specific checkpoints to improve different statistics such as life, attack power, stamina and many others.

The game is difficult and challenging, with very few tutorials and a lot of cryptic and hidden mechanics. For example, there is a mysterious corruption bar that is continuously filling while dyeing or exploring, but there is no explanation of what will happen when it will fill.  Travel through the map can be a bit confusing, since all the places look very similar. Luckily the possibility to fast travel will help from the beginning. Even if the game is difficult, many options can be implemented to offer a different and personalised experience that will suite any player.

Lucah is a game full of secrets and paths to discover. The exploration is rewarded with hidden items, familiars, techniques but also with mysterious fragments of the memories of different characters, a needed hints to understand the complex world behind the simple facade of a minimalistic plot. When the gameplay starts to be a bit repetitive, the game will soon offers something new. It can be an interesting locations full of talkative characters and no enemies, an arena with ranks associated to the performances or a hidden arcade minigame. There is also a New Game+ after finishing the game, with a more difficult challenge and novel gameplay mechanics. The plot also offers some choices that can lead to optional fights or could have an impact on the ending. The New Game+ will also expand the history with new scenes and dialogues.

Lucah deals with very strong themes. The plot is heavily surreal and symbolic, often focused on the concept of religion. The clergy is painted as a cruel beast, with the most evil characters addressed as bishop or cardinal. For example, a recurrent boss is called “Christian”, without any other characterisation except his faith. The symbolism but also the cruelty of the Cult/Church remember me of Silent Hill, and this can only be a positive sign. There are also strong references on satanism and pagan deities: for example during the game  will be quite common to find symbols of the upside-down cross. The plot has also strong references regarding depression and especially suicide.

If you are looking for a deep and polished game, with a complex but rewarding combat style and an intriguing atmosphere, Lucah is definitively a game to try.

Lucah born of a dream is available on STEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/app/896460/Lucah_Born_of_a_Dream/