Happy Halloween! đ
[p]I know weâve already looked at the enemies in đHaunted Hollowđ, but seeing as today is Halloween, I figured we should definitely take another look at this domain. There are some spoilers in here, so if you're trying to go into the game blind you'll want to pass on this one.[/p][p][/p][p]Iâve covered a bit about this domainâs Guardian and quest in the past, but I wanted to dig in a bit more about how this all works. But first, meet Alex, the domainâs Guardian:[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p][/p][h2]Cartridge Hunt đčïž[/h2][p]Alex is seemingly the only Guardian that hasnât lost control of his domain. He still has his scepter and has not been transformed. But that doesnât mean your job is done because Alex asks you to do something for him before heâll help you recall your core memory of Haunted Hollow. Specifically, youâll need to bring Alex game cartridges for his Super Dreamstation 32 video game console. These are some retro games that his dad really likes, so he's curious to try them out.[/p][p]By the time you reach Alex, you may have already encountered one or more of these cartridges out in your travels because they are located throughout Slumberland. Once youâve met Alex, youâll be able to carry these back to him, but itâs a bit trickier than you might think. When youâre holding something in your hands, youâre unable to do things like dangle from monkey bars, use your pogo stick, or attack enemies with your yo-yo. Making it back to Alex from wherever you find these is a bit of an adventure unto itself for each one and will require some deliberate pathfinding on your part.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]So rather than battling a boss here, youâll instead have a long-running quest. You could go ahead and try to get started on it right away (Alex will point you towards the one cartridge location he knows of from the start) or just keep track of cartridges as you find them. Theyâll be marked on your map once you spot them, so you can always come back to grab them later. I hope this is a nice change of pace from a boss fight, and that youâll explore Haunted Hollow for ideal routes back to Alex while carrying a cartridge.
 [/p][h2]Ghoulish PJs đ[/h2][p]Once youâve brought Alex enough cartridges such that he helps you push back the Oblivion, heâll also offer to sell you some new pajamas, the Ghoulish PJs đ. With these spooky PJs, youâll fit right in at Haunted Hollow. Hereâs a quick look at how they work currently:[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]And the in-game description:[/p][p]These PJs were once worn by a lucid dreamer and allow you to ride the line between being awake and asleep.
Buff - Unawake You do not suffer any damage from enemies, but hazards always wake you up in a single hit.[/p][p][/p][p]I made these pretty strong for the first pass, and the reaction was about as expected (playtesters that got these PJs usually responded with something along the lines of âwow, these seem busted!â). So from here I think I do need to tone these down to bring them more in line with other PJs. While I think the one-hit wake-up from hazards is very punishing (maybe more so than players realize at first), I donât want these to even feel broken. While itâs fun to abuse mechanics and for players to try to âbreakâ the game, if you have one set of PJs that players think is way better than the others, it just removes the decision about which PJs to wear, and the goal is for the players âload outâ (PJs and Little Buddy) to always be something they should be considering. So we need a fair balance of pros and cons with this ability.[/p][p][/p][p]And here's some changes Iâm thinking of making to this:[/p]
 [/p][h2]Are You Afraid of the Dark? đ„[/h2][p]The last thing Iâll dig into here thatâs kind of cool about Haunted Hollow is how the lighting in the game works, because there are a lot of dark areas in Haunted Hollow. If it gets completely dark, you wonât see anything except outlines of your character and enemies.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]This of course makes it very difficult to navigate, so youâre gonna want some light. There are sometimes lanterns strewn about to help you see, and thereâs even some enemies that emit light, though youâll have to avoid destroying them if you want them to keep lighting everything up for you.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]But probably what youâll need to do most of the time is carry a jack-o-lantern around with you. These are a great source of light and allow you to see to navigate through the dark areas, but as we mentioned above with the cartridges, not having your hands free can be a problem. And besides, what if youâre trying to carry a video game cartridge through Haunted Hollow to Alex? In that case youâd definitely benefit from having a Little Buddy that can help you see in the dark, so make sure to explore Slumberland and keep an eye out for clues![/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]So what do you think of Haunted Hollow? Did you enjoy this domain-specific overview? Please let me know in the comments below! As a big fan of all things Halloween, I always knew from the get-go that Little Nemo was gonna have to include a Halloween-themed dream domain so it's fun to get to show it off a bit ahead of release. đ[/p]
 [/p][h2]Ghoulish PJs đ[/h2][p]Once youâve brought Alex enough cartridges such that he helps you push back the Oblivion, heâll also offer to sell you some new pajamas, the Ghoulish PJs đ. With these spooky PJs, youâll fit right in at Haunted Hollow. Hereâs a quick look at how they work currently:[/p][p]
Buff - Unawake You do not suffer any damage from enemies, but hazards always wake you up in a single hit.[/p][p][/p][p]I made these pretty strong for the first pass, and the reaction was about as expected (playtesters that got these PJs usually responded with something along the lines of âwow, these seem busted!â). So from here I think I do need to tone these down to bring them more in line with other PJs. While I think the one-hit wake-up from hazards is very punishing (maybe more so than players realize at first), I donât want these to even feel broken. While itâs fun to abuse mechanics and for players to try to âbreakâ the game, if you have one set of PJs that players think is way better than the others, it just removes the decision about which PJs to wear, and the goal is for the players âload outâ (PJs and Little Buddy) to always be something they should be considering. So we need a fair balance of pros and cons with this ability.[/p][p][/p][p]And here's some changes Iâm thinking of making to this:[/p]
- [p]You'll still actually get hit by enemies (and thus knockback and hit-stun), you just won't receive any damage from those hits.[/p]
- [p]Projectiles get treated as hazards and can also one-shot you.[/p]
 [/p][h2]Are You Afraid of the Dark? đ„[/h2][p]The last thing Iâll dig into here thatâs kind of cool about Haunted Hollow is how the lighting in the game works, because there are a lot of dark areas in Haunted Hollow. If it gets completely dark, you wonât see anything except outlines of your character and enemies.[/p][p]