Nightmare Operator is a ghostly Tokyo-set shooter in which you switch bullets by doing Street Fighter moves

Quarter-circle reloads sound great on paper

Every man has his breaking point, and mine is the DP motion, aka the D-pad input used to perform Ken's Shoryuken uppercut in Street Fighter, and moves like it in other fighting games. I've never been able to perform it consistently. It's one of many moderately fiddly moves - written down for posterity in a small tear-stained journal I keep sorrowfully beneath my pillow - which have walled me out of enjoying fighting games, much as I love thinking about them.

That wall grows ever higher as I age and my digits turn to dust and my dreams of launching Ryu like a sack of potatoes fade into the twilight. Still, at least I can still play and have fun with shooters, right? All you have to do in shooters is press a button once to make stuff go boom. Wait, Nightmare Operator, what are you doing? Nightmare Operator, no!

Nightmare Operator is a third-person "action-horror" game in which you play Misha, a trigger-happy exorcist hunting folkloric abominations in a sumptuous low-poly, low-res Tokyo. Misha has a fancy modular gun, with modules inflicting different types of elemental damage and status effects. "Learning when your next shot is going to send a Youkai reeling or freeze them solid is key to survival," notes the Steam blurb, and yes, I am on board with this. I do like me a modular gun. I still think fondly of Rogue Trooper. But there is a twist: the game uses a Clutch system whereby you "rapidly switch between Weapons Modules using command inputs inspired by fighting games".

Please, DDDistortion. I can get my head around a Power Reload, but do not ask me to nail the fingering for a Zangief Screw Piledriver in order to plug in some ice bullets. From the looks of the just-released Tokyo Game Show trailer, above, Misha also gets a parry and melee counters. You'll need to keep a "level head". It's all so technical, ugh. And yes, they've got my old nemesis the DP motion in there.

Image credit: DDDistortion

The enemies themselves are a characterful bunch. They're inspired by yokai stories, but I don't know much about yokai, so will paraphrase them in the clunky lingo of the Clueless Westerner. You've got Wizard Dog, who throws X-shaped bursts of energy balls. There's also Knife-Wielding School Girl With Wonky Face, who likes to slink behind shelves and pounce on you. Stretchy Neck Dude seems fond of peeking around corners - he reminds me of those stampeding necromorphs from Dead Space 2. And let's not forget Floating Cyborg Head, who charges up an energy beam that seems easy to dodge, but will probably prove vexing when you're battling several spectres.

Its an impressive line-up, honestly. And I'm sure the fighting game gimmick adds flair. I look forward to hearing about how fun these creatures are to battle from Brendy, our resident Tekkenite.

The game's PSX-styled setting is wonderfully crisp and dingy and full of cyber-90s detailing - glitching holograms, piles of boxy TVs broadcasting weird sigils, the sunken radiance of vending machines. There's a slice-of-life hangout element to wash down the exor-shooting. "Between missions, Misha and her team have nomikai at a local izakaya in the Quarantine City," explains the Steam blurb. These sections will allow players to explore archives from the broken world of Nightmare Operator, interact with the inhabitants of the Quarantine City, and drool over low-poly izakaya fare."

It sounds reminiscent of cooling off in the back alleys of Yakuza Zero. Again, thoroughly on board with this as a concept if not at the level of my thumbs. Still, perhaps if I play it and master it I'll be able to enjoy Street Fighter?