Panda-Bits: Little Nemo the Dream Master
Nintendo Entertainment System
Capcom
September 1990
Adventure/Platformer
4 out of 5,  Groundbreaking platformer with tons of replay value, a bit difficult for some
Today marks the 107th anniversary of the Little Nemo Comic strips, which follow the title character as he travels in his dreams, which are full of  wondrous kingdoms and boisterous characters that help little Nemo along in his fantasy filled journeys.  The comic serial was written and illustrated by Winsor McCay and ran from 1905 through 1912. The work of Winsor McCay inspired the film adaptation Little Nemo;Adventures in Slumberland, this was the first Japan animated movie to receive a nation wide release stateside. Hot on the heels of the animated feature Capcom made Little Nemo the Dream Master for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Much to my approval the story for the game was very condensed. It consisted of two or three screens that played before the title screen popped up. Little Nemo is awoken by the princess of all Slumberland in the middle of the night, where she invited him to Slumberland to be her playmate. And thus the righteous ritual we have come to know as the ‘booty-call’ was born.
Little Nemo the Dream Master is a side scrolling platform adventure game, in which you are armed to the teeth(pun intended) with tons of delicious candy treats. You must use the aforementioned diabetes treats to seduce various wildlife in your dreams to do your bidding. You have no powers outside of the candy and rarely is their a monster you can jump on to defeat, so using these creatures to your advantage is crucial. You can fly with the bee, climb with the gecko and savagely beat your enemies with the gorilla among a host of cuddly animals who are willing to kick ass brutality in the name of play time. Little Nemo uses his beast to search levels for six small keys which are needed to open the door to the next stage, keys are usually in hard to find places and will prove a daunting task to even seasoned retro players. Because of the story and setting of the game play, people might mistake this game for a walk in the park, well you’re stupid and get ready to get your ass handed to you by unrelenting hordes of cute shit. At times the game play might seem to difficult and broken to some, but I assure you the hit detection is fair and Little Nemo is very easy to control, so any death is truly by your own hand. It is worth putting up with the game so you can reach the larger later levels which truly are a sight to behold both in there vastness and intricacy , with settings such as moonlit dream lakes, mushroom forest and  a toy room with a locomotive running through the middle of it.
In spite of its difficulty this is a very fun game, with tons of variety both in-game play and level design. Definitely another classic from the team at Capcom. It comes very recommended and because it is relatively obscure still, it doesn’t demand a high price on the Electronic-bays.
