As I mentioned yesterday, I plan to introduce several new series features here on What The Christ? over the next few weeks. One series that I’m particularly excited about is Forgotten Retro Classics. Posts in this series will highlight some of the best old school video games that have either been forgotten or simply didn’t receive the attention they deserved in the first place.

I’m going to start with a frequently overlooked platformer for the Nintendo Entertainment System that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s called Little Nemo: The Dream Master.

Little Nemo is a platformer originally released on the NES by Capcom in 1990. The game is based on a Japanese film adaptation of the Little Nemo In Slumberland comic strip drawn by Winsor McCay. The strip was published in the New York Herald and the New York American newspapers from 1905 to 1914. The film adaptation was produced in 1989 but did not see a US release until 1992. Although the movie was a box office flop, it was a hugely successful VHS in 1993 with more than two million copies sold. A DVD version was released in 2002 and again in 2008.

The story revolves around a boy named Nemo, who dreams of a journey to a world called Slumberland where the evil Nightmare king is holding Morpheus, the king of Slumberland, hostage. You take on the role of Nemo in the game. The object is to locate keys scattered across each sprawling level as you search for Morpheus. Along the way, Nemo encounters a range of animals, most of which he can ride. Each animal possesses its own strengths and weaknesses. The game is regarded as one of the most challenging platformers on the NES. (I’ve never beaten it, myself.)

Aside from the fantastic plot, Little Nemo: The Dream Master also has one of the best musical scores of any NES game. The music was produced by Junko Tamiya. Tamiya worked as a composer at Capcom from 1987 to 1992, producing music for The Battle of Midway, Bionic Commando, Strider, and Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight.

You can actually play Little Nemo online at Nintendo8. Click here!