A new game blends The Nightmare Before Christmas’s afterlife and a spirit dog with Super Mario Bros.-style platforming, and the result sounds exactly like Halloween in motion. Waltz and Jam, an upcoming action-adventure from Flyway Games, follows Waltz the soul and his dog companion Jam through seven realms inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins.
Waltz and the Deadly Sins
The premise is simple and dark in the best way. Waltz is a soul traveling through an afterlife that reimagines the Seven Deadly Sins as distinct realms. Jam, his lovable spirit dog, is the indispensable partner who accompanies him through the journey. The Steam page describes the game’s worlds as storybook realms, each with its own atmosphere and secrets.
Jam’s Transformations
Jam is not just a sidekick who follows Waltz. He transforms into useful forms, including a water ball that bounces and splashes and a trampoline that launches Waltz into the air. Waltz also collects toys with different abilities, using them to activate mechanisms and overcome obstacles.
Comparing Waltz and Jam to Its Sources
| Game | Setting | Companion | Core Gameplay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waltz and Jam | Afterlife of Seven Deadly Sins | Spirit dog Jam | Platforming, puzzles, collectibles |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas | Halloween Town, other holidays | Zero the dog | Fantasy adventure |
| Super Mario Bros. | Fantasy worlds | Toad | Platforming, puzzles, collectibles |
The comparison holds together. Waltz exploring lands based on the Seven Deadly Sins echoes Jack Skellington’s journey through a different holiday world. Jam, a loyal dog sidekick like Jack’s own Zero, transforms and solves puzzles the way Nintendo-style games ask players to experiment with their surroundings.
What Players Get to Do
The gameplay is built around platforming, puzzles, and collectibles. Players face boss encounters but are encouraged to experiment with surroundings and figure out how tools open new paths. That combination of movement and environmental interaction is where Waltz and Jam looks particularly familiar to fans of Nintendo-style platformers.
A Short Review
Waltz and Jam is worth keeping an eye on. The combination of The Nightmare Before Christmas’s afterlife and a spirit dog with Super Mario Bros.-style platforming is a natural fit. Jam’s ability to transform into a water ball and trampoline makes him an essential part of the formula. The handcrafted realms, each with its own visual identity, sound like the sort of world that will hold a player’s attention through the seven realms.
The game is a blend of two beloved franchises, and it holds its own by leaning into both. Waltz and Jam looks like the perfect Halloween game.
- Waltz travels through an afterlife inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins.
- Jam, the spirit dog, transforms into a water ball and trampoline.
- Players face boss encounters and collect toys to solve puzzles.
- The game’s realms are handcrafted and storybook-inspired.
- Waltz and Jam blends The Nightmare Before Christmas’s darkness with Super Mario Bros.-style platforming.
The game’s macabre storybook atmosphere should please fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas, while its colorful exploration and platforming offer the kind of playful adventure associated with Super Mario Bros. Waltz and Jam is a game that knows what it is. It is a Halloween game, a platformer, and a story about a soul and his dog, all at once.
Source material: “The Nightmare Before Christmas Meets Super Mario Bros. In Spooky New Game,” Screen Rant.
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