This article is missing information about the video game's design. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(January 2015)
Neverending Nightmares is a video game developed by Infinitap Games. It is a horror game drawing inspiration from the lead designer Matt Gilgenbach's personal struggles with obsessive–compulsive disorder and depression;[2] in an interview, he stated that he was "trying to create that feeling [of bleakness and hopelessness] in Neverending Nightmares".[3]
The player takes the role of Thomas, a man who "wakes up" from one nightmare and into another. As the player navigates Thomas throughout the game, the nightmares become progressively worse, including the horrifying monsters that lurk within them. Each time Thomas dies in a nightmare, comes across some serious cause of depression, or commits self-harm, he will "wake up" again in either the same nightmare as before, or into a different one. This acts as the game's checkpoint and save system. The game contains a total of three different endings, all influenced by the player's choices or paths that they take.[citation needed]
Neverending Nightmares revolves around Thomas Smith, a young man who is suffering from a seemingly-endless string of nightmares (hence the title). Another character, Gabby, is introduced as Thomas' little sister, and frequently appears in his nightmares, occasionally changing roles. At turning points in the game, Thomas finds Gabby dead in various situations; Thomas himself also dies in his nightmares, sometimes by his own hand, though this only leads him to wake up in yet another nightmare.
Throughout the game, which is implied to be set in the late 1800s, Thomas must explore various locations in his nightmares. These include a mansion, a cemetery, an insane asylum, a forest, and a hospital.
Story
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2015)
The game begins with Thomas "waking up" from a nightmare, in which he had stabbed his younger sister Gabby in the stomach. As he wanders through each nightmare, "waking up" in a bed each time, the player sees Thomas commit gruesome acts of self-harm out of depression, such as pulling a blood vessel or even a bone out of his arm.
Depending on the player's actions, Thomas will finally wake up into one of three different endings.
Wayward Dreamer: after waking up, a young Thomas goes to Gabby's room, where he kisses his sleeping sister good-night.[6]
Destroyed Dreams: after escaping a nightmarish version of himself, Thomas slowly awakens in a hospital, his arms bandaged and bloody. Gabby, either as his sister or wife, begs him to wake up, and rejoices when he finally does.[6]
The Final Descent: an adult Thomas wakes up at his desk, where he reads a letter from Gabrielle, his wife. After the loss of their daughter, Gabrielle was forced to leave Thomas, as he couldn't get over the tragedy. After reading the letter, Thomas quietly weeps in his chair. A portrait on the wall implies that the girl murdered at the beginning was his daughter, not Gabrielle.[6]
Development
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2015)
In September 2013, a Kickstarter campaign for the game's development was successfully funded, raising $106,722 of its original $99,000 goal.[7] The game was released on Steam and Ouya on September 26, 2014.[1]
Reception
Pre-release
Neverending Nightmares received largely positive buzz during the course of its development. Adam Sessler said it was "very, very interesting" after playing an early build at the Penny Arcade Expo. He compared it to Gone Home in how it told a story personally relevant to its creator.[8]IGN included it on a list of its most anticipated horror games for 2014, emphasizing its "wonderfully-distinct, pen-and-ink style."[9] It was nominated by The Escapist as one of the best games of E3 2014.[10]
Post-release
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2015)
The game for PC received a score of 68/100 at Metacritic indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11] Smangaliso Simelane praised the game's "spooky soundtrack composed of twinkling piano notes and ominous synthetic whines."[12]Giant Bomb nominated it for Best-Looking Game and Best Horror Game of 2014.[13][14]
Sales
In April 2015, it was reported that Neverending Nightmares had sold around 22,000 copies across all platforms, and that it had generated around $250,000 in revenue.[15]
See also
Retro/Grade, the previous game by Gilgenbach and McGlothlin
References
^ abMcElroy, Justin (September 10, 2014). "Neverending Nightmares set to disturb on Sept. 26". Polygon. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
^McElroy, Justin (23 July 2013). "The Neverending Nightmare of Retro/Grade creator Matt Gilgenbach". Polygon. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
^VanOrd, Kevin (5 September 2013). "Neverending Nightmares: How OCD Inspired a Psychological Horror Breakthrough". Gamespot. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
^Usher, William (8 September 2013). "Neverending Nightmares Is A Horror Game That Channels The Art Of Edward Gorey". Gaming Blend. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
^"Steam Community :: 0xC0DED00D :: Review for Neverending Nightmares".
^ abcArchived at Ghostarchive and the : Neverending Nightmares Dev Diary 213: The Endings. YouTube.
^Gilgenbach, Matt (27 August 2013). "Neverending Nightmares Kickstarter". Retrieved 3 June 2014.
^Sessler, Adam (2013-09-02). "Pax Prime 2013 Favorites with Adam Sessler". SourceFed Nerd (Interview). Interviewed by Meg Turney. Seattle, WA. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
^Krupa, Daniel (2013-01-29). "13 Horror Games Not To Turn Your Back On In 2014". IGN. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
^"The Escapist's Best of E3 2014 Nominations". The Escapist. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
^Simelane, Smangaliso (2020-04-26). "Four Indie Games That Tackle Mental Illness". Indie Ranger. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
^"Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day One". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
^"Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Five Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 30, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
^Matulef, Jeffrey (April 25, 2020). "How Neverending Nightmares diminished its creator's nightmares". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
External links
Official website
Developer's website
January 13, 2023
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This article is missing information about the video game s design Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page January 2015 Neverending Nightmares is a video game developed by Infinitap Games It is a horror game drawing inspiration from the lead designer Matt Gilgenbach s personal struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression 2 in an interview he stated that he was trying to create that feeling of bleakness and hopelessness in Neverending Nightmares 3 Neverending NightmaresDeveloper s Infinitap GamesPublisher s Infinitap GamesDesigner s Matt GilgenbachComposer s Skyler McGlothlinPlatform s Microsoft WindowsOuyaMac OS XLinuxPlayStation 4PlayStation VitaiOSAndroidNintendo SwitchReleaseSeptember 26 2014 1 Genre s Survival horrorMode s Single player Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 2 1 Setting and characters 2 2 Story 3 Development 4 Reception 4 1 Pre release 4 2 Post release 4 3 Sales 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksGameplay EditThe player takes the role of Thomas a man who wakes up from one nightmare and into another As the player navigates Thomas throughout the game the nightmares become progressively worse including the horrifying monsters that lurk within them Each time Thomas dies in a nightmare comes across some serious cause of depression or commits self harm he will wake up again in either the same nightmare as before or into a different one This acts as the game s checkpoint and save system The game contains a total of three different endings all influenced by the player s choices or paths that they take citation needed The game features a 2D hand drawn line art style heavily influenced by the works of Edward Gorey 4 It uses a minimalist user interface forgoing onscreen prompts and loading screens during play in order to increase immersion 5 Plot EditSetting and characters Edit Neverending Nightmares revolves around Thomas Smith a young man who is suffering from a seemingly endless string of nightmares hence the title Another character Gabby is introduced as Thomas little sister and frequently appears in his nightmares occasionally changing roles At turning points in the game Thomas finds Gabby dead in various situations Thomas himself also dies in his nightmares sometimes by his own hand though this only leads him to wake up in yet another nightmare Throughout the game which is implied to be set in the late 1800s Thomas must explore various locations in his nightmares These include a mansion a cemetery an insane asylum a forest and a hospital Story Edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it January 2015 The game begins with Thomas waking up from a nightmare in which he had stabbed his younger sister Gabby in the stomach As he wanders through each nightmare waking up in a bed each time the player sees Thomas commit gruesome acts of self harm out of depression such as pulling a blood vessel or even a bone out of his arm Depending on the player s actions Thomas will finally wake up into one of three different endings Wayward Dreamer after waking up a young Thomas goes to Gabby s room where he kisses his sleeping sister good night 6 Destroyed Dreams after escaping a nightmarish version of himself Thomas slowly awakens in a hospital his arms bandaged and bloody Gabby either as his sister or wife begs him to wake up and rejoices when he finally does 6 The Final Descent an adult Thomas wakes up at his desk where he reads a letter from Gabrielle his wife After the loss of their daughter Gabrielle was forced to leave Thomas as he couldn t get over the tragedy After reading the letter Thomas quietly weeps in his chair A portrait on the wall implies that the girl murdered at the beginning was his daughter not Gabrielle 6 Development EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it January 2015 In September 2013 a Kickstarter campaign for the game s development was successfully funded raising 106 722 of its original 99 000 goal 7 The game was released on Steam and Ouya on September 26 2014 1 Reception EditPre release Edit Neverending Nightmares received largely positive buzz during the course of its development Adam Sessler said it was very very interesting after playing an early build at the Penny Arcade Expo He compared it to Gone Home in how it told a story personally relevant to its creator 8 IGN included it on a list of its most anticipated horror games for 2014 emphasizing its wonderfully distinct pen and ink style 9 It was nominated by The Escapist as one of the best games of E3 2014 10 Post release Edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it February 2015 The game for PC received a score of 68 100 at Metacritic indicating mixed or average reviews 11 Smangaliso Simelane praised the game s spooky soundtrack composed of twinkling piano notes and ominous synthetic whines 12 Giant Bomb nominated it for Best Looking Game and Best Horror Game of 2014 13 14 Sales Edit In April 2015 it was reported that Neverending Nightmares had sold around 22 000 copies across all platforms and that it had generated around 250 000 in revenue 15 See also EditRetro Grade the previous game by Gilgenbach and McGlothlinReferences Edit a b McElroy Justin September 10 2014 Neverending Nightmares set to disturb on Sept 26 Polygon Retrieved September 15 2014 McElroy Justin 23 July 2013 The Neverending Nightmare of Retro Grade creator Matt Gilgenbach Polygon Retrieved 3 June 2014 VanOrd Kevin 5 September 2013 Neverending Nightmares How OCD Inspired a Psychological Horror Breakthrough Gamespot Retrieved 4 June 2014 Usher William 8 September 2013 Neverending Nightmares Is A Horror Game That Channels The Art Of Edward Gorey Gaming Blend Retrieved 3 June 2014 Steam Community 0xC0DED00D Review for Neverending Nightmares a b c Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Neverending Nightmares Dev Diary 213 The Endings YouTube Gilgenbach Matt 27 August 2013 Neverending Nightmares Kickstarter Retrieved 3 June 2014 Sessler Adam 2013 09 02 Pax Prime 2013 Favorites with Adam Sessler SourceFed Nerd Interview Interviewed by Meg Turney Seattle WA Retrieved 2014 06 08 Krupa Daniel 2013 01 29 13 Horror Games Not To Turn Your Back On In 2014 IGN Retrieved 2014 06 08 The Escapist s Best of E3 2014 Nominations The Escapist 11 June 2014 Retrieved 17 June 2014 Neverending Nightmares for PC Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved December 27 2014 Simelane Smangaliso 2020 04 26 Four Indie Games That Tackle Mental Illness Indie Ranger Retrieved 2020 05 17 Giant Bomb s 2014 Game of the Year Awards Day One Giant Bomb CBS Interactive December 26 2014 Retrieved December 27 2014 Giant Bomb s 2014 Game of the Year Awards Day Five Text Recap Giant Bomb CBS Interactive December 30 2014 Retrieved December 31 2014 Matulef Jeffrey April 25 2020 How Neverending Nightmares diminished its creator s nightmares Eurogamer Retrieved September 17 2020 External links EditOfficial website Developer s website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Neverending Nightmares amp oldid 1104120608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
