Games you Should Be Playing: My Night Job – A Throwback, Throwback Horror Comedy Game That Gets It Right!
This month I have been paying it forward to a lot of creators that I feel deserve a little extra love. Musicians, Filmmakers, and now Game Developers. This week I’ll be giving my thoughts on some of the bigger announcements at E3 2016 (you can read my first two posts on E3 2016 here, and here), however; I’ll also be spreading the word about some fun indie games that are off the beaten path a bit, but truly amazing titles that everyone should give a try. Today I’m talking about the PS4/Steam release: My Night Job by Philip Mangione and Bruno Speranzoni.
What is My Night Job: My Night Job is an old school 16-bit style side scrolling action game that features numerous references to classic horror movies. The idea is simple, you play as a regular Joe who takes a super shady job from a TV ad, to clear out and protect a whole lot of people from a spooky mansion. Each room of the mansion is connected in one way or another, and each room (which are themed after popular horror movies) is host to a wide variety of monsters to kill and civilians to save. You go around picking up whatever weapon you can find (there are tons of them) and you do your level best to save 100 citizens and keep the monsters from destroying the mansion. Seems pretty straightforward, but things get really hectic pretty quickly. It’ll take quick reflexes and smart use of weapons and special items (attacks, resurrection, super power, etc.) if you want to survive the mansion and get paid! For a more detailed run down about My Night Job from the game developer, check this link out from the Official Playstation Blog. Also, check out the official gameplay trailer below:
Variety is the Spice of Life! With 11 monsters to hunt down, a massive mansion to explore, and over 60 items to weaponize, My Night Job gives you plenty of ways of getting creative when dishing out the pain. Items range in usefulness and include: shotguns, bicycles, boxes, chairs, coat racks, guitars, chainsaws, statues, and many, many more. Each item has a specific purpose, and some are pretty darn scarce (there’s only one chainsaw that I’ve found, so wait until you absolutely need it to use it). The combat is fun, and the action ramps up big time as the monsters increase their numbers significantly in just a short period of time. Successfully making it to the end of the game is a massive challenge, and gaining a high score (especially over one of your friends) is like winning an Olympic Medal – you feel honored!
Trophies are handled a lot differently in My Night Job, and that’s a great thing! As you earn trophies, they will appear in the trophy room. Each trophy that you unlock grants you access to a game modifier that can increase your character’s performance in the game (faster speed, invincibility during demon clown mode, 50% more HP, etc.). You can use any 2 modifiers at a time, and it significantly alters how you play the game. It’s little tweaks like this, that help make the replayability of the game that much more infectious. There has been many nights that I played a quick pick up game of My Night Job and then found myself 2 hours later trying to get a better high score. The modifiers add an extra layer of strategy in how you play the game, and that is awesome!
Bottom Line: My Night Job is a most excellent old school style action game. It has a ton of variety, comedy, action, and certainly enough difficulty to challenge even the most dedicated hardcore gamer. If you dig nostalgia, but are looking for something new, and you just happen to love old horror movies as well as good old fashioned action games with some serious meat to them, then My Night Job is a title you should definitely check out. My Night Job is currently available on the PS4 and also on Windows, Mac, and Linux through Steam. Go to the official website: mynightjobgame.com to purchase the game. Do it. DO IT NOW!
