Night Slashers (Arcade / Switch) Review

 (Originally posted in October, 2020)

 Among the hundreds of nearly forgotten arcade beat-em-ups, Data East's Night Slashers stands out for gratuitous gore and impressive 2D graphics from 1993. Outside of the game's spooky overlay, replacing the usual crime syndicate with childhood nightmares, the game is rather unremarkable, but that's not a bad thing. You're getting simple arcade brawling, wrapped in the oddly comforting nostalgia of 80s horror cinema. For grown-ups in 2020, it's easy to appreciate the days when pandemics and natural disasters were a regular feature at the movie theater, not the daily news.

At the start, your trio of occult monster hunters arrive just in time to blast the brains of an advancing zombie towards the feet of an already mortified family. From there on, the mayhem commences. No arms? No problem. Stumped enemies hilariously resort to spitting their own viscera. Besides zombies, medieval executioners, werewolf's, and hardly human crazies swarm the screen. Appearing often, a variety of bosses rarely disappoint. You'll even fight an angsty, teen-aged Pinocchio. In a clever way to do a end boss rush, the Grim Reaper resurrects earlier slain bosses, now even more sickly looking. During the Grim Reaper fight itself, Death cleverly spins around the stage like a top, Scythe in boney hand. Between stages, the sadistic 'Whack a mole' and 'Bowling' mini games may have you feeling sorry for the ghoulish participants, if you're not laughing.

Jack White is lumbering, but ends his combos with a satisfying kinetic blast from his robotic arms. Vampire hunter Christopher Smith is mezze morta, dressed like a cheesy casino dealer and attacking with an awkward stance. Martial artist Zhao Hong Hua is the most fun to use. Her overhead judo throw is always satisfying, and she's swift. Besides the super attack which obliterates the screen and chomps a bite of health, you can hit A+B to activate the evade technique, excusing yourself from a sticky situation at little cost. Between combat, there's a charge function for your next hit.

As usual in arcade games, the best stages come early on for kids with light pockets and adults with mere moments. After the ravaged hospital, engulfing forest, Dracula's Castle, and unexpected but welcome Mayan ruins, the remaining stages are generic military bases and factories. Some truly great music deserves to stick around like King Tutankhamun. As if surfing a wave, Stage 1's upbeat groove rises above a generally sinister mood. Track 2 is full of playful chaos, muffled zombies painfully moaning in song. Inside Dracula's castle, a whaling, heroic guitar constantly finds ways to battle the powerful drum beat, oppressively pounding away like the steps of an undead army. 

Purchasing a copy of Night Slashers was well worth the handful of quarters I would have certainly fed into the cabinet as a kid, had my arcades dared to feature it. The cheesy 80s vibe is perfect for Halloween. Maybe take your Switch outside, in the dark. Bring some friends to both enjoy, and keep a lookout for what's lurking out there...