Greater than a decade after Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas debuted in film theaters, Avenue Fighter and Mega Man writer Capcom pulled off one thing spectacular: It made a direct sequel to the film, with Burton’s blessing.
The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge, launched stateside on PlayStation 2 and the unique Xbox in 2005, is ready one 12 months after the occasions of the movie. Whereas Jack Skellington is in quest of new scares to boost Halloween, Oogie is revived by Lock, Shock, and Barrel, with aspirations to take over Halloween City and grow to be the Seven Holidays King.
Capcom aimed for authenticity with its sequel, bringing again a lot of the unique movie’s forged to voice characters, together with Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington and Ken Web page as Oogie. The movie’s artwork director additionally contributed new design work for the sport. And the sport’s makers even matched the movie’s musical numbers, with Jack combating bosses to re-recorded variations of Danny Elfman’s songs.
Gameplay-wise, Capcom aimed a lot decrease. Oogie’s Revenge performs like a simplified model of the writer’s Satan Might Cry video games: Jack wields a glowing inexperienced twine known as a Soul Robber to whip, seize, and smash rooms filled with skeletons and big bosses. Just like the Satan Might Cry video games, an on-screen combo counter lavishes reward on gamers as they battle, calling their in-game efficiency “Backbone-tingling”, “Bone-chilling”, and “Shriek-i-fied.” And, much like Satan Might Cry’s swappable combating types, Jack can swap out and in of costumes that imbue particular powers on the fly. In his Santa kind, he can throw presents that stun and freeze enemies. Because the Pumpkin King, he can spit hearth.
![Jack Skellington dances in a minigame from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge. An on-screen combo indicator reads “Trick or Treat”](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ifi85_4zA8reF3_R15auEzARR6U=/0x0:1920x1477/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1477):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24995766/The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas_Oogie_s_Revenge___Dance_Mode.jpg)
Picture: Capcom
Not like Satan Might Cry — which ought to actually undertake this mechanic, although — Oogie’s Revenge’s boss battles function a musical rhythm sport known as Dance Mode. Jack sings and dances whereas dispatching his foes, together with a brain-swapped Dr. Finkelstein and a building-sized Oogie Boogie.
Oogie’s Revenge landed with a vital shrug. Regardless of it being a long-awaited return to the setting of Burton and director Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated world, the sport was dinged for its repetitive gameplay and shallowness. A number of reviewers on the time criticized the truth that Jack Skellington stated “Soul Grabber!” out loud each time he used the weapon.
However Oogie’s Revenge — and a Castlevania-inspired prequel, The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas: The Pumpkin King — have been launched when Nightmare followers have been hungry for extra of Jack Skellington, Sally, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Capcom developed the sport initially for audiences in Japan, the place The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas nonetheless enjoys immense reputation.
In line with author Michael Mullin, even earlier than the discharge of the sport, Disney Japan staff within the merchandising division have been determined for brand new Nightmare materials. As a copywriter at Disney, Mullin wound up penning and pitching two sequel tales to The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas as long-form poems, however Burton appeared cautious of sequelizing the story and sending Jack Skellington to different holiday-themed lands, like Easter City. (Mullin would later go on to work on a Nightmare board sport printed by NECA and Oogie’s Revenge.)
![Jack Skellington grabs an evil skeleton with his Soul Robber weapon in a screenshot from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pTKNZqnx70qQv0fV9mlHhnprymQ=/0x0:1874x1440/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1874x1440):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24995802/The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas_Oogie_s_revenge_attack.jpg)
Picture: Capcom
Oogie’s Revenge doesn’t do a lot to develop the world past Burton’s authentic imaginative and prescient; it’s largely set in areas seen within the movie. However the sport did develop the environments of the movie with new particulars, created with enter from The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas artwork director Deane Taylor.
“There was a number of alternative for freedom, which was good,” Taylor stated in a 2005 interview with Team Xbox concerning the improvement of Oogie’s Revenge, “however you need to perceive that you’re making an attempt to make it seem like Tim drew it, which was my transient after I obtained the job on the movie. It is a lot simpler stated than achieved.”
“There’s a bunch [of new locations in Oogie’s Revenge],” Taylor stated, a few of which fleshed out characters seen within the movie. “To design the vampire citadel I drew the 4 vampires as a gaggle, frozen in mid scare, which I then was stone after which into citadel element. With the Mayor’s home I needed an attention-grabbing entrance, or method to the home. Provided that his home is mainly his head and hat, I imagined that the home at one time had been pushed face down within the mud, then lifted again up. Utilizing the impression within the mud, an in depth mosaic was then utilized comprised of outdated bones and dried bug shells. This stage of element is just not at all times obvious, however it’s at all times there.”
![Jack Skellington stares disapprovingly at Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who are in a bathtub, in a screenshot from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hr79n4lBLybDafm7chvYEsCslRs=/0x0:1920x1200/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1200):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24995767/The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas_Oogie_s_revenge_Lock_Shock_Barrel.jpg)
Picture: Capcom
Whereas Burton hasn’t been eager on sequels, in keeping with Oogie’s Revenge manufacturing supervisor Masato Yoshino, he gave the sport his stamp of approval. Talking to Movieweb in 2005, Yoshino stated Capcom confirmed an in-development model to the director “and acquired detailed recommendation on varied components, together with his signature expression of distinction between gentle and shadow, character motion and facial features in addition to the world of Nightmare Earlier than Christmas itself. He offered recommendation on such a variety of particulars that we might actually really feel his love and fervour for the movie.”
Stated Yoshino of his assembly with Burton, “I went into the assembly with the perspective that I used to be the largest fan of the movie and presumably I like The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas greater than even Tim does, solely to appreciate my understanding of the movie was shallow and superficial when Tim enthusiastically gave us extra conceptual recommendation somewhat than bickering over variations in small particulars.”
Sadly for The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas followers, Oogie’s Revenge is successfully caught on outdated platforms. The PS2 and Xbox video games will not be formally backward suitable on present platforms, and there’s been no trace of a re-release. However second hand copies aren’t too costly, in case you’re keen to place up with mid-aughts graphics.