Battle night terrors in Parry Nightmare, out on PC this March

Modern-day life has taken its toll on an unnamed young woman, resulting in restless sleep and bad dreams – dreams that just so happen to resemble a bullet hell shoot’em up.

Playing as the girl’s soul, it’s a case of parrying attacks to weaken enemies before finishing them off in the guise of Honno-Chan, the girl’s subconscious dream-self.

Bullets and enemies swarm the screen, and when dealt with quickly, a chain can be performed. This fills a tension gauge that eventually leashes a burst attack, killing all enemies instantly. Power-ups also feature, along with boosts that can be swapped out for a strategic advantage.

Parry Nightmare

While heading into new rooms, artifacts trigger bad memories, such as disastrous encounters and stressful days at work. These can be countered with good memories, some of which relate to food. Green vegetables produce winds that knock enemies back, for instance. Hurrah for fart jokes.

The hand-drawn art is accompanied by a “jazzy” soundtrack that recently won an award in a contest held by Bandai-Namco.

KAKUKAKU GAMES’ Parry Nightmare launches March 1st on Steam, available in English and Japanese.