Little Nicky (video game)

Little Nicky is a 2000 licensed platform game developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Ubisoft for the Game Boy Color. Based on the comedy film of the same name, the game was released exclusively in North America. The player controls the half demon/angel Nicky, who attempts to return his two brothers to Hell before they turn Earth into a new realm of evil and suffering. Using Nicky's demonic powers, the player traverses 24 levels inspired by events from the titular film, and outside of the main gameplay can partake in five different minigames.

Critical reception towards the game was mixed, with some praising it's graphics while others criticized it's short length. Mixed reactions were given towards the game's sound design.

Little Nicky is a side-scrolling platform game based on the 2000 comedy film of the same name. The player controls the half demon/angel Nicky, who utilizes demonic powers such as possession and flaming belches in order to progress. At the start of a level these powers are unable to be used, and need to be unlocked by filling up a meter. This is accomplished by the player standing near a source of heat, which additionally gives them faster movement speed and higher jumping, but if the player stands near one for too long they will be unable to use their demonic abilities until the meter depletes to a certain point. Additionally, the player has four health points which, when depleted by hitting enemies or obstacles, results in a game over.

The player traverses through 24 levels inspired by key events from the titular film.^[1] Most of them have traditional objectives that require the player to either reach the level's end point or complete a specific task in them, such as collecting a certain amount of objects. However, three levels feature a boss that must be fought to finish the stage, with one of those centering around the player needing to make five basketball shots on a hoop before a timer runs out. Outside of the main game, the player can participate in five minigames: fishing, darts,^[2] and two shooting galleries; one where the player shoots ducks, and another where they fire pineapples up the buttocks of Adolf Hitler.^[3] Darts can be played with a second player via a Game Link Cable, while the fifth minigame, involving rearranging the facial features of Satan, allows the player to print their results using a Game Boy Printer.^[1]

The game was developed by Digital Eclipse,^[4] who had previously worked on handheld Game Boy Color iterations of licensed games such as NFL Blitz 2000 (1999) and Tarzan (1999).^[5] It was published by Ubisoft, in collaboration with New Line Cinema, to promote the launch of the Adam Sandler film Little Nicky. Sandler served as an executive producer on the project, representing his production company Happy Madison, and, alongside supporting actor Allen Covert and director Steven Brill, he lent minor vocal work for some of its characters.^[6]

Little Nicky was first announced at the E3 2000 gaming convention by Sandler on May 13, 2000.^[7] It was initially planned to be launched on November 17, 2000,^[8] but was delayed and released a month later on December 15, 2000.^[9]

The game was met with mixed reception, as GameRankings gave it a score of 67.75%.^[10]

IGN gave it a rating of 8 out of 10. Reviewer Craig Harris said "the game adds a few cool elements to a very traditional genre" and praised the quality of the game's production and music but said "there are some places with spotty programming and awkward interfaces."^[2] By contrast, GameSpot gave it 4 out of 10, with reviewer Frank Provo calling the game "unpleasant."^[1]