A Nightmare on Elm Street

Released in 1989, Elm Street is Rare’s take on the world film franchise of the same name. The game is a platformer where up to four players can participate simultaneously (this requires an NES Four Score or NES Satellite) to walk through parts of Elm Street looking for Freddy’s bones.

You see, Freddy is a killer who was burned alive but now has come back to haunt the children of those who burned him. But he doesn’t hunt in the waking world. No, he hunts in the world of nightmares. Should anyone find Freddy’s bones in the real world and burn them in the town furnace, Freddy’s power will be gone and he will be defeated. As the player moves about Elm Street, it will be necessary to enter homes, cross a junkyard, and face many different enemies that will do what they can to stop you from achieving your goal. You must be careful, though, for if you fall asleep you will enter Freddy’s world and things turn tougher for you. You may even come face to face with Freddy himself!

To stay awake, find cups of coffee around the houses or, should you find yourself in the dream world, find a boombox to wake up. Nightmare on Elm Street tries to be a compelling game but does not do very well. The graphics look fine and the music follows the theme of the movie series but it is not anything special in terms of gameplay. The one cool feature it does have, however, is when things transform between the real world and the dream world. The effect is nicely done visually. Overall and OK game for the NES and a fine game to play over Halloween.