Night Creatures is a side-scrolling action game. You are an unfortunate peon who is bitten by Hecate, a witch. Unless you kill Hecate before sunrise, you will forever be doomed to be a creature of the night.
The world of Night Creatures consists of several different scenes, including a town and a graveyard. You can travel from one scene to another in a non-linear fashion. Your goal is to find the fastest way to obtain weapons and abilities needed to defeat Hecate. There are several boss encounters as well. After defeating a boss, you gain the ability to transform into an animal, such as a wolf or an owl.