Grabbed By The Ghoulies Review
Hm ... where to start? I acquired this game near its release, played maybe 30% of it, and then left it to sit on my shelf for years. So what made me want to suddenly play it now? I actually remembered it after seeing a virtual trashcan filled with virtual copies of this poor game – now after seeing that, it kind of gives one the impression that the game was bad – but is the game really that bad? I figured I might as well pop it into my 360 (backwards compatibility, ftw) and finally attempt to actually finish it just to see for myself.
Let me give you a quick rundown of the story so you have an idea as to why you're actually fighting all of these Ghoulies.
The main character, Cooper, and his girlfriend, Amber, are lost, and a storm is approaching. Luckily, however, a huge mansion just happens to be looming in the distance, and to Amber this seems like an ideal spot to take shelter – Cooper on the other hand isn’t sure, and would rather hike to the nearest village. Before either can compromise on a course of action, Amber is seemingly kidnapped by some winged Ghoulies and taken prisoner in the mansion leaving Cooper alone, frightened, and unsure about what had just happened. Although reluctant at first, Cooper enters the mansion in hopes of rescuing Amber, and the story unfolds from there.
The story is split into chapters, each having its own goal for you to accomplish. And while the game is usually non-stop Ghoulie smashing, the story is rather charming and introduces you to quite a few colorful characters that you'll meet throughout the mansion; namely: a butler, a maid, a groundskeeper, a cook, an insane crackpot, and so on ... While the story is presented well, it’s unfortunately extremely short, which is a downside.
Visually, the game is presented very well. The graphics feature a cartoonish look, and the character/ghoulie designs are pleasantly created. (Speaking of ghoulie designs, something BK fans may notice is that the imps are clearly modeled after Jinjos.)
In addition to that, something else BK fans will undoubtedly notice is that this game is chock full of almost limitless cameos/references to the Banjo-Kazooie series. Nearly every room contains at least something to reference from one of our favorite series – which is a really nice touch.
As far as the game play goes – it’s very repetitive. Following a preset path, you enter a specific room, eliminate the Ghoulies in the room, then move onto the next room – and that’s about it. The rooms are very detailed though, which is a factor that keeps the player interested; you’ll always be wondering what’s in store for you in the room ahead, as well as what theme the room will take on.
When you enter a room you’ll be assigned a certain challenge to complete for that room. For instance, challenges may include: eliminating every ghoul in the room, finding a key hidden within the room (or within a Ghoulie), defeating only a certain breed of Ghoulie, defeating the Ghoulies within a time limit, etc, etc, etc. Failure to abide by the challenge will result in an appearance by the Grim Reaper; you’ll then be tasked with the additional challenge of dodging him, because if he touches you it’s game over (but don’t worry, you’ll simply restart the challenge and hopefully do better). I view the Grim Reaper addition as more of a second chance in some of the challenges; however, it's not really the case in a few particular ones, as sometimes his appearance is inevitable.
The controls are very easy to use and become accustomed to, in my opinion. You’ll use the left and right triggers to move the camera, the left analog to control Cooper, and the right analog to attack with your current weapon or your fists. The A button picks up weapons located around the room, and B drops your current weapon. Attacking is a simple as pointing the right analog in the direction you want to attack. Additional buttons (X and Y) are used along with A and B when you encounter a certain 'fright' moment where you'll have to hit a random button combo quickly, or lose some health. Overall, the controls are simple, yet effective.
The game is more of a smash-em-up action game than an adventure. As said above, you must follow a preset path that has been lain out for you; you won’t be able to explore the mansion or enter rooms freely. Unfortunately, there is also a decent amount of backtracking ... not a terrible amount though. As I stated before, the game is also noticeably short; completion average is probably about four to six hours or so.
All in all, it’s a fun, entertaining game that was extremely underrated. I would recommend it to anyone; I feel it was definitely worth my time playing through. It's also a pretty good 'Halloween theme' game as well.
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Review written by Drew.
