Who can forget those wandering eyeballs in the classic Atari game Haunted House? Released in 1981 for the 2600 gaming system Haunted House pitted the players against bats, tarantulas and the evil Zachary Graves as they searched for a lost urn. Atari has updated the game for a new generation with enriched 3d environments, dynamic storylines and of course more monsters to chase you through the creepy Graves Mansion.
Atari sent me a copy of the Wii version of the game to review. The game can be played with two players in cooperative mode. You play as the grandchildren of Samuel Silversprings, who disappeared 30 years ago in the Graves Mansion. You'll need Wii nunchuck controllers to control your movement. The Wii remote handles using items and picking up items and also unfreezing yourself. I'll get to that shortly.
You start out in the first floor of the mansion and your only light source, a cell phone, is shortly taken away by a ghost. The rest of the game involves searching for a way out and finding items to help you on this task. There are journal entries with clues, special keys and light sources hidden throughout the mansion. As the story unfolds you find yourself in search of the lost pieces to the magical urn. There are also some special items that help you out. For instance a glove the dreaded Eye of Sour On and other helpful items you can use to battle ghosts. Oh yeah, did I mention the ghosts? Check out this exclusive trailer to get an idea of the horrifying denizens of Graves Mansion.
These nasty creatures will blow out your light sources and freeze you in fear. To get unfrozen you shake the remote, if you should die you will reincarnate at your last safe zone. Safe zones are fireplaces, placed around the mansion, that serve as save points and also rebuilds your health.
You have three levels of difficulty and 16 levels to play through so it will keep you and the kids busy. There are also inside jokes that pay homage to other games, movies and books. No grues though — the game could use some grues. Even though the setting is a little creepy, it's not very scary and shouldn't keep the kids up at night. Bottom line is the game is a treasure hunting adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously. The designers of this game wanted it to be fun and they succeeded.
The game is available for the XBox360, Xbox Live and PC Download at Atari.com and if you have a hankering for the original check out Ataris Greatest Hits Vol. 1 for the Nintendo DS.
