Rare is a Video Game company that was once known for pumping out gaming classics like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country. Unfortunately, when Rare sold itself to Microsoft, the games they’ve been making haven’t been on par with their previous efforts. That's not to say all of the Rare games from that point forward had no charm or creativity whatsoever because some of them still had that spark of endless enjoyment that the company was once well known for. Case in point, Grabbed by the Ghoulies
You play Cooper, an average teen who needs to save his girlfriend Amber after being captured by Ghoulies and trapped inside a haunted mansion by the ruthless Baron Von Ghoul. Now Cooper must put on a brave face and travel from room to room inside the mansion to set Amber as well as many other trapped humans free from Baron’s grasp. This may prove to be harder than it looks as most rooms will contain many monstrous creatures that will stop Cooper from achieving his goal.
The story has that unmistakable charm that Rare was once known for. I’m not gonna act like this is one of the best video game stories ever made, but the simplicity and execution make the whole game feel like your going through a spooky but fun haunted house and I mean that in the best way. There are many Ghoulies you have to fight from Skeletons to Zombies to even Mummy’s but along the way, you’ll also come across some of the Mansions Servants. Each one has a distinct and likable personality and provides Cooper with the tools and instructions necessary to battle his way through the many rooms this mansion has to offer.
Most rooms will put you in a room to fight specific ghoulies. To make things more interesting and challenging, there will be specific requirements when fighting, such as do not defeat the same ghoulie twice or use only weapons to defeat the ghoulies. Failing to abide by any of these rules will result in the summing of the grim reaper who can kill you instantly in one hit. It’s sort of like Luigi’s Mansion in terms of its style and every room is unique with plenty of opportunities to explore. The thing that may drive players away though is the repetition of beating the same ghoulies up as the game falls victim to being too comfortable without changing things up a bit. The game also doesn’t have the smoothest control either as fighting the ghoulies is somewhat challenging to do with using the right thumbstick to attack. The gameplay may have problems, but it just does enough right to make it worthy of a playthrough
The cel-shaded graphics look good and it holds up well to even games of today as a result. I especially like how the in-between cutscenes are shown through a sort of animated comic book. The designs of the characters and the ghoulies are cartoony but also fun and you can tell the people at rare had fun with designing the many monsters Cooper will have to face. The music is beyond enjoyable and brings a sense of spookiness but also cartoonish fun. It helps that they got the same person who scored the music for Banjo-Kazooie Grant Kirkhope and it truly shows.
This is a technically good Rare game that came in the mix of some unfortunate subpar titles. While far from perfect, Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a spooktacular game that has charm, wit, and above all infectious spirit that is hard to resist. You can tell that Rare had a lot of fun making this game and it’s a fun game to play seasonally especially around Halloween.
(Final Grade: B)