Jack in the Dark - A Nightmare Before Christmas

Written by Andy Panthro

You'd think a kid in a toy shop would be happy.

Previously, we had knocked on the door of this mysterious toy shop while trick-or-treating, and definitely got tricked ourselves. The door behind us is locked, and so we take charge of young Grace as we try and navigate our way through this curious place and find our way home.

The toys move around us, the eyes of a jack-o-lantern look down upon us. So much life and yet, we appear to be the only one here. Towards the back of the shop, two toy soldiers block a doorway. Towards the right hand side are the counter, and the displays in the window. Directly in front of us, a large open chest, which seems as good a place as any to begin.

From here, you can see Jack, the oil lamp and other details.

Our options at this point are limited, we are dressed as a witch with a broom. All we are able to do is “search” and “close”. Therefore, we walk to the chest and “search”. All that the large chest contains a toy drum set. If selected, instead of the broom, Grace will instead play the drums as she walks around. For now though, there is much more to search and I could do without the noise of the drums.

As a brief aside, this being a smaller offering from the Alone in the Dark team, the sound is definitely not up to the standard of the first game. When I played that, I could enjoy the lovely CD-ROM quality music. This entry has (so far) a single tune, which after a while, becomes rather grating upon the ears. The sound effects too are quite harsh, this era of digitised effects are a real mixed bag.

As for Grace, I put the drum kit away by re-selecting the broom. From my brief check earlier to test the game out and get the intro screenshots, I know the place I should really begin my search. Behind the counter of many stores are interesting or useful items, and it is no different here. In fact, there are some books behind the counter, including a rather interesting one that might shed a little light on this whole situation.

The item graphics look much better, thankfully.

On my way behind the counter, I pick up an oil lamp that lay discarded on the floor (that to be honest looked more like a rubber chicken). Searching behind the counter, I also discover a book, describing many toys, and a tale about One Eyed Jack, and Father Christmas! Yes, it’s the plot of the game, hidden away in the back of the book.

One Eyed Jack is a mean old Jack-in-the-Box, and has terrorised all the other toys, and worst of all, taken the kindly old Father Christmas prisoner. The only thing that can save the day, is the wit and wisdom of a witch, and it doesn’t even matter if it’s a professional one or not! Sounds like we have our job cut out for us.

One-Eyed Jack seems a lot meaner than Jack Skellington.

The various descriptions of the toys in the book match to some of the toys you can already see as you walk around the shop, with hints both subtle and otherwise about how you might be able to stop them getting in your way. We already have a drum set, of which the book mentions is how Jack got some of the toys to “march to his tune”, as well as an oil lamp that could be from Aladdin. Time to search out some more items, and take more of a look around the shop.

By the stove, there’s a dime on the floor, which I take. There’s also something else I can’t make out, because the 3D graphics on show are not particularly clear or detailed (even at “high” detail). The cash register and the rest of the counter appear to have nothing of note left in them. Various toys move in the background, a horse and rider, a small airplane on a string, two toys blocking the door to the back room, Jack’s head bouncing out of his box, and a train in the window.

Each toy gets its own little description.

Near Jack is one of those coin operated bubblegum or candy machines, filled with colourful sweets. Assuming this is the best use of my dime, indeed the only thing that seems like it would take it, I use the coin and receive a handful of little candies. As soon as I do, with a cackle, Jack gets one of the toys to attack me. This time it is the “Indrani from Bali”, a sort of puppet brought to the west by Kipling “whose fame spread like an oil slick”. All I need to do is empty my oil lamp, and with a comedic noise, the dancing puppet slips and falls, and disappears.

I note also that the book mentions Jack has a sweet tooth, but upon giving him these sweets nothing of note seems to happen, but I can pick up the sweets again from the counter so I am not in a walking dead scenario either.

Since I’m lacking in places to go from here, it’s time to take the drum and see if that lets me access the back room. By chance, this is the point at which Jack has sent his minions to come harass poor Grace. To avoid her cries, I equip the drum and beat a tune. As I slowly pass large open chest, trying to get a good screenshot, I notice one of the toys jump into the open chest. Taking this as a big hint, I march around in front of the chest until three of these toys have put themselves away, and the chest itself closes.

Not the best screenshot, but the one I got.

Entering the back room, a whole host of new items and toys greets me. Further in the back, there is a surprising thing for a toy shop, a jail cell containing none other than Father Christmas himself! While it is not yet Christmastime, We’ll have to release him soon or none of the children will get their presents, although what Jack gets out of this I am not quite so sure.

This seems like a good break point, so the thrilling conclusion will await us next time, as we see if I can save Father Christmas and save Christmas for us all, and I’m running out of time!

Saint Nick, Santa Clause, Father Christmas. We have to save him!