Nightmares (ナイトメア, Naitomea) are powerful monsters that, along with the Marchens, roam the Jail. They are the bosses of the Mary Skelter series.
Description[]
Nightmares are special creatures that can be considered as boss monsters. Their purpose is to eliminate those who oppose the Jail's authority. Like Marchens, their appearance varies, but all share the distinct feature of being a grotesque or demonic entity. One commonality they share however, is the emblem on their body, shaped like a pointed eye inside of a crescent moon.
Normally, player progression and the timing of various dungeon features is a on turn-based system similar to that of a dungeon-crawler game. However, Nightmares are special in the sense that they ignore this rule and pursue the party in real time, and are able to attack on the map without initiating battle. Worse yet, random encounters may still occur while being chased by the Nightmare, meaning enemies will buy time for the Nightmare to catch up.
When a Nightmare is nearby, the player will enter the "Nightmare Space," in which a given area is swallowed in darkness (or mist, in Mary Skelter 2's case). Once in the area, the player's vision will become hindered, the map is disabled, and the Nightmare will charge the party. A counter in the upper-center portion of the screen will show the approximate distance between the party and the Nightmare. The only saving grace here is that blood stains from battling Marchens will remain lit and visible even in Nightmare Space, allowing for some degree of navigation without the map.
Upon escaping a Nightmare by outpacing the border of its space, a random item will be rewarded. Higher-tier items will be given out if one or more parts of the Nightmare's body are destroyed before escaping.
For the most part while exploring, Nightmares are immortal. While they can be damaged, and body parts can be destroyed to weaken them, they cannot be completely neutralized. Defeating a Nightmare will temporarily stun it, offering a chance to escape its territory. Destroying the core of an area will remove the invincibility of that area's Nightmare, making it possible to defeat it. Be prepared, because post-core Nightmare battles are inescapable.
Once a Nightmare has been destroyed, it's gone for the rest of the game.
Abilities[]
- Nightmare Space- All Nightmares have access to a variation of this space, obscuring the surroundings. While in Nightmare Space, both the menu and the map are disabled. The only notes given are proximity to the Nightmare and the paths illuminated by bloodstains.
List of Nightmares[]
- Jack
- C.S. Nightmare
- L.M. Nightmare
- Hansel
- W. Nightmare
- T. Nightmare
- O. Nightmare
- D. Nightmare
- S.G. Nightmare
- G. Nightmare
- Tower Nightmare I
- Tower Nightmare II
- Jail Nightmare
- Mysterious Nightmare
- Love Nightmare
- Nightmare?
- Metropolitan Nightmare
- J.T. Nightmare
- L.I. Nightmare
- F. Nightmare
- E. Nightmare
- Grave Nightmare
- S. Nightmare
- D.A. Nightmare
Gallery[]
