Critical reception towards the game was mixed, with many reviewers praising its visuals and presentation. Mixed reactions were given towards the game's audio and gameplay.
Gameplay
Little Nicky is a side-scrollingplatform game based on the 2000 comedy film of the same name.[1][2] The player controls the half demon/angel Nicky, who utilizes demonic powers such as possession and flaming belches in order to progress. At the start of a level these powers are unable to be used, and need to be unlocked by filling up a meter. This is accomplished by the player standing near a source of heat, which additionally gives them faster movement speed and higher jumping, but if the player stands near one for too long they will be unable to use their demonic abilities until the meter depletes to a certain point.[3] Additionally, the player has four health points which, when depleted by hitting enemies or obstacles, results in a game over.
The player traverses through 24 levels inspired by key events from the titular film.[2] Most of them have traditional objectives that require the player to either reach the level's end point or complete a specific task in them, such as collecting a certain amount of objects. However, three levels feature a boss that must be fought to finish the stage, with one of those centering around the player needing to make five basketball shots on a hoop before a timer runs out. Outside of the main game, the player can participate in five minigames: fishing, darts,[3] and two shooting galleries; one where the player shoots ducks, and another where they fire pineapples up the buttocks of Adolf Hitler.[4] Darts can be played with a second player by taking turns playing on a shared system, while the fifth minigame, involving rearranging the facial features of Satan, allows the player to print their results using a Game Boy Printer.[2]
Development and release
Adam Sandler, who played the leading role in Little Nicky (2000), oversaw and lent voice work for its video game adaptation.
Little Nicky was first announced at the E3 2000 gaming convention by Sandler on May 13, 2000.[9] It was initially planned to be launched on November 17, 2000,[10] but was delayed and released a month later on December 15, 2000 exclusively in North America.[11]
The game garnered mixed reception from critics according to review aggregator website GameRankings.[12] Craig Harris of IGN noted that the game featured interesting elements but also some "awkward interfaces" and "places with spotty programming", while Frank Provo of GameSpot described it overall as "unpleasant" but lauded its lude-toned plot.[3][2]
Many reviewers had mixed opinions on the game's sound design, which was regarded by Provo as "poorly sampled"; highlighting in particular its heavy metal rock soundtrack and Sandler's voice clips.[2] Harris, Jonathan Dudlak of Pocket Games, and Ethan Einhorn of Electronic Gaming Monthly however labeled it as high quality for a Game Boy Color title, with Dudlak and Einhorn describing it as "first-rate" and impressive respectively.[3][15][13] Harris praised the audio for being "super clear" and cited it as the highlight of the game.[3]
Critics near-universally praised its visuals and presentation. Numerous reviewers highlighted the game's character animations and level environment details.[13][15][2] Provo described the environments as "hilarious", "earthly", and a great representation of the film's tone,[2] with Einhorn additionally comparing its animations to that of a hand drawn cartoon.[13]
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