Reviews

Platform: XBLA / Wii / PC
Developer: ImaginEngine
Publisher: Atari

The original Haunted House on the the Atari 2600 deserves its place in history for many reasons, the game was one of the first home video games to feature scrolling graphics; a multi-level playing field; and has been identified as one of the earliest examples of the survival horror genre. The question is can this update of the classic live up to the reputation of the original?

The game itself is set in the Graves Mansion, and you play the role of either Jacob or Silvia Silverspring as you search for you missing grandfather. The intro offers some background story but is a little disjointed. Once the intro has finished you find yourself in the entrance of the mansion, the door locked behind you with just a mobile phone to use as a torch. Upon taking a few steps forward a ghost steals your sole lightsource leaving you alone in darkness to solve the mystery behind your grandfather's disappearance and to find a way out of the haunted mansion.

Gameplay is fairly basic and involves running round dark rooms and corridors looking for the exit at the end of each level. The first obstacle you will have to overcome is the darkness itself, this is achieved by searching the furniture dotted around the mansion for new sources of light. Lights range from short lived but plentiful matches, through torches and flares, to the lanterns which are few and far between but will last for most of a level.

As you wander around the mansion, you will encounter a myriad of spectral adversaries. These ectoplasmic enemies include rats, bats, ghosts, zombies, spiders, demons and more. Luckily you are not powerless against these phantom foes, as most baddies are vulnerable to your lights. And if you are lucky enough to find one of the magical weapons then it's really time to start busting some ghosts, although you will have to choose carefully as you can only carry two items at once.

To further bar your progress through the mansion you will encounter locked doors. Most doors can be opened by finding the correct combination of keys, again by searching the furniture found throughout the mansion. Some doors however will require a number of levers to be pulled, and others on later levels will only yield when bathed in the correct colour of light.

After every four levels there is a boss level, these levels must be overcome to progress to the next four levels of the mansion. The first boss level is fairly simple and straight forward, but the bosses do quickly become more difficult to beat, especially on the harder difficulty levels.

Graphically the game is quite cartoony, but this suits the game's style as the game certainly feels more Scooby Doo than Freddy Krueger. Your light casts realistic shadows as you run round the mansion, but should you run out of light, you will find yourself running blindly running round the mansion waiting for the lightning flashes to fleetingly light your way. Audiowise most of the ghastly ghouls have their own sound effects, which helps you recognise them whilst fumbling in the dark, there are also some lovely spot fx, including screams, knocks and footsteps, and your character also likes making Scooby Doo-esque interjections such as 'Jinkies'.

One major niggle is the games help system which pops up every once in a while in the first few levels. This prevents movement until a button has been pressed, but if enemies are in the room they are still free to attack, Surely the game should have paused?

Overall the game is an enjoyable old school arcade adventure, which is not surprising given the games origins, but this also means that once you have completed the game there isn't much to keep you coming back for more. At least for the completionists there are numerous treasures and diary pages that you will find whilst searching for the more useful lights and weapons within the mansion. While the rather simplistic gameplay may not be everyone's cup of tea this is certainly one of the better retro updates available for download.