Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess Reviews
The Nightmare Princess feels like it was made by people who were forced to work on a Deception game that they wanted nothing to do with, and, harboring nothing but contempt for it, worked to undermine its development at every juncture. They succeeded at doing so, creating something so abysmally contrary to the spirit of the Deception series and painfully un-fun in general that we'll likely never see a true Deception game again.
Overall, the game is incredibly enjoyable, allowing one to sadistically torture enemies to death. The game is perfect for that, and will bring many hours of enjoyment, especially with the Deception Studio mode and user content being downloadable. Unfortunately, the plot itself is not as engrossing as the gameplay. If the Deception Studio mode did not require unlocking characters and traps in another mode, it is unlikely I'd spend much time on them. Despite this, the game is well worth the price of admission, moreso for newcomers to the franchise, to this sadistic playground.
Of all the Deception series, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is the complete package that has it all. It's great for neophytes since it has an adequate tutorial and offers an unbelievably wide breadth of what the series is all about, and long-time fans will be satisfied by the new twists on the old formula.
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is a surprisingly sadistic guilty pleasure. It's tough to match the satisfaction of seeing a well-planned trap chain go off. Unfortunately, the fun lasts about as long as that satisfaction does. If you can spend hours setting up deathtraps for helpless humans, then you'll have tons of fun with The Nightmare Princess. However, longtime fans may not find enough extra content in this version for it to be worth the money. This is a solid entry point to the franchise, but only the most hardcore should double-dip with the last-gen version.
Ultimately Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is a great guilty pleasure game for strategy buffs with a sense of humor. If you like the idea of knocking someone into a cannon and launching them into a cage then this game is probably for you!
While I have some issues with the way Deception IV explores its themes, it is nonetheless a very fine and entertaining game, and I can guarantee you that there is nothing else quite like it on the PlayStation 4. For that reason alone it is worth a look; it might be a polarising game at times, but it is memorable and unique project, and as such it represents a creativity that we should all be encouraging in this industry.
I recognize the way the gameplay could be fun to other people, but I ultimately did not find it good enough to carry the entire experience. There is challenge, but it doesn't feel fun. With a lacking story, at best average graphical presentation, and gameplay that falls short, I can't find much that would appeal to those who aren't already fans of the Deception series.
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is great in small doses but unfortunately it does become a little repetitive, even with the new content and the game has this real last-gen console feel to it. Nonetheless if you enjoyed the previous games and want to try something different, there are far worse games than this!
In the end, Deception IV has a few kinks in its mechanics, but not enough to explode in your face. The trap-setting mechanic will no doubt go over well with creative types eager to torture AI opponents, and the amount of unlockable content will incentivize completionists to run their tests over and over again until the perfect killing machine is invented.
If you ever wanted to create deliciously devious Rube Goldberg contraptions of death, then Deception IV: Nightmare Princess might just be worth checking out.
Still a great concept, but needs refinement
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess offers up the definitive edition of the newest entry in the series. As a result, it's a highly-polished experience that benefits from some extra care.
As a successor to an admired name from a bygone era, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess falls short of accrued expectations. As a means of introducing a different style of game to a different time and place, Deception IV is an exemplar of viable defiance against rote standards. Your position determines Deception IV's place—a setting made homelier through The Nightmare Princess' abundance of extra content—but it doesn't impede its lack of conformity. There's nothing like Deception IV, except, of course, decade-old Deception games.
However, despite the new content, it would be tough to tell players of Blood Ties that The Nightmare Princess is worth its $50 price tag, seeing as its repetitive, core gameplay is exactly the same, and the environments are still a bit bland. If, on the other hand, you are a newcomer to the series, its unique and strategic style of gameplay makes The Nightmare Princess somewhat of a novelty, and quite possibly worth your time.
Look past its dated graphics, and players will find a game steeped in strategy and high on challenge. Despite the repetition, there's no disputing that chaining together a huge combo to torture and kill mere mortals can be an extremely satisfying way of releasing your daily stresses.
Deception is also more of a niche title, so anyone interested already likely purchased the previous game, and the new content is certainly not worth $50 on its own. Still, for those that missed out, or just want to another reason to retire the PS3, The Nightmare Princess delivers all the trappings (see what I did there?) of a great game.
If epic stories are your thing, then you probably won't get much enjoyment out of Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess. But the point of the game is its murderous sandbox, and things have only improved in that regard since the original outing was released. Go mad – that's kind of the point – and slash up some do-good knights and confused Satan worshippers. After all, it's what Daddy would want.
Even with the new additional content in this "Game of the Year" like instalment, it would have been more ideal for the new content to be a DLC package for Deception IV: Blood Ties instead of part of this re-released version. The new content is far from bad – it's actually great and well worth to experience, but you're still getting the same game with the same gameplay mechanics, just with a bit more goodies.
Although rough around the edges, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess gives players a chance to kill people in some of the most brutal ways possible. Fans of wanton violence and Rube Goldberg contraptions will have a bloody good time setting off traps. And with two full games to choose from, this PlayStation 4 port will keep sadistic murderers busy for dozens of hours.
A good entry point to the franchise if you want one, but The Nightmare Princess has much more appeal for established fans.