Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night is a vintage-style 2D

2D computer graphics

2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...

 shooting game on Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 developed by Sanuk Games

Sanuk Games

Sanuk Software Co., Ltd., trading as Sanuk Games, is a video game developer and publisher based out of a suburb of Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 2003....

, and published by Bigben Interactive

BigBen Interactive

Bigben Interactive is a French video game publishing and accessory development company. It is based in Lesquin, France.The company had a part based in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of some of the later Dreamcast games in Europe in fall 2001 and early 2002, including...

 and Neko Entertainment

Neko Entertainment

Neko Entertainment is a French video game developer and publisher based out of a suburb of Paris, France. It was founded in 1999. Neko's productions are based around an evolutionary development platform for 3D consoles called the Neko Game Development Kit which allows the company to simultaneously...

 in Europe, and DSI Games in America. It is a parodic

Parody

A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 tribute

Tribute

A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...

 to famous old-school horror games from the 1980s such as Castlevania and Ghosts 'n Goblins.

Gameplay

The player controls Robert Belmart, an anthropomorphic pig, through six 2D levels:

• A Night Walk in the Graveyard
• The Ancient Castle Ruled by Darkness
• The Volcano BBQ
• The Swamp Full of Disgusting Creepy-Crawlies
• The Forest in the Way
• The Castle of Intolerable Pain

He faces diverse monsters, zombies, ghouls, and bosses. He equips with 4 weapons: a pistol, a shotgun, a slayer whip and a pack of dynamite.

Story

One Halloween night, young piglet Cliffy Belmart is caught tee-peeing an ancient castle ruled by darkness, and swept inside by horrendous creatures. Instantly aware of the peril, his father Robert Belmart equips with a fully loaded gun and rushes to rescue his son. His interlucutors along the way give him a series of wrong leads, therefore leading him to travel through 6 different worlds before finally finding his son. Dialogs are packed with humor and references to famous videogame quotes.

Reception

The overall reception was fair, with IGN

IGN

IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 issuing a rating of 7.2/10 and GameZone

GameZone

GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...

issuing a rating of 6.7/10. Reviewers praised the game's sense of humor, while its old-school gameplay drew mixed comments.