| Introduction
Universal Studios have been producing Monster Movies
for years now and were even responsible for the recent
resurrection of The Mummy franchise. Back in the golden
age of cinema they used to churn out low budget, and
very lucrative, horror movies and in fact are the force
behind many of our current interpretations of classic
screen ghosts and ghouls. The Werewolf, Frankenstein
and many other monsters were all brought to life by
Universal and now we have a GameBoy Color version to
celebrate these great creations. Featuring all the classic
characters, will it be fangtastic (sorry about that)
or should we just put it out of its misery?
GamePlay
You start off the game in a crypt having just woken
from a long, deep sleep and, a little disorientated
at first, try and discover exactly what's gone on since
you've been in dreamland. The first person you'll encounter
is a witch who'll bring you right up to date with the
details. It seems The Grand Inquisitor wants to see
an end to rule by all Vampires which is obviously bad
news for the Count. Armed with 'bat power' Dracula now
must enlist the help of all the other vampires in order
to, once again, reign supreme.
Each level will have you roaming around looking for
the particular vampire that lives there. This may involve
solving puzzles to lower a drawbridge or open a door.
There is, however, more involved that simply overcoming
locks and switches to complete the quest. Your first
problem is the light, one of your health meters indicates
how hot Dracula is getting so it's advisable to stay
in the shade most of the time although some 'pick-ups'
do allow you marginal resistance to daylight. Another
is the henchmen who seem to be everywhere. Fortunately
one hit of your 'bat power' will leave them disoriented
and then it's a case of moving over to them and draining
their energy. It might seem easier to just kill them
but disposing of them in this way improves your health,
important as some vampires will only align themselves
with you if they believe you're strong enough.
After every area is cleared you'll have to go a few
rounds with a Major Monster. The first is a Werewolf.
None of these are as simple to dispose of as the henchmen
and you may have to employ a little trial and error
before you're onto the next level. The password system
is another messy one with 6 digits but not as tricky
as some we've seen.
Control
Another very simple control system with a great many
of the onscreen actions being done automatically. The
only things you need to worry about are avoiding enemies
and shooting your 'bat weapon'. Conversations with people
are started by walking up to them; the same applies
to moving boxes, flipping switches and using keys.
Graphics
The graphics have a true comic book feel throughout,
a wise move as making it darker would have meant it
was harder to see. Colours have been put to good use
and you'll generally feel like you're viewing more than
the GameBoy's limited palette. Important graphical touches
are also clear such as puzzles that need solving and
the all important shaded area without which Dracula
will die. The animation is quite pleasing at least with
regard to the main character although some of your enemies
don't look as healthy.
Sound & Music
The music is excellent and very much like the kind
of thing you might hear when entering a haunted castle
only to find that, when you got to the organ, there
was no one there. It really does set the atmosphere
incredibly well and makes some of the locations very
creepy. The sound effects are minimal but who cares
when you've got music like this.
Final Comments
This was a bit of a surprise really. I didn't expect
to enjoy this game but it has such original gameplay
elements you just can't help it. It's a little confusing
to start off with and you may find yourself wondering
around aimlessly but once you have some weapons things
start to improve. The manual doesn't help much and runs
to only four pages. I must stress that this won't be
for everyone but if you enjoy this type of exploration
and puzzle solving then it could be for you.
|
Hardware
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