Graphics

Grabbed by the Ghoulies uses a cell shading engine as far as I can tell which gives it a strange, but not bad feel as it’s the first cell shaded horror game out there (well, it’s rated 3+ so it’s not that scary). Unlike most 3rd person games, the camera in Grabbed By The Ghoulies isn’t too bad, so far I haven’t seen it go though any walls or enemies. The lighting is used well in this game to make it as realistic game as possible with a cell shaded game engine.

Sound

The game uses sound effects well to make the game realistic. The Ghoulish sounds really make you feel like you’re in a haunted mansion. The flying creatures all have realistic flapping noises and you can even hear a approaching enemy's footsteps as they sneak up on you. One of the game's drawbacks is that the main characters don't speak; all you get are subtitles and a bit of music on the backround. I feel this is one of the bigger let downs of this game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is quite hack and slash based, but the original controls disguise it well. The baron, whose castle they stumble into, controls the challenges in each room and how much health you get etc. For example, in one room you start with 15 health bars and have to defeat all the enemies in the room, and in another you may have to defeat all the enemies of one breed, but none of another. This makes the gameplay varied, but after a while some people may find it a bit boring as you're just basically killing enemies all over again.

Story

You play as Copper - a scary cat kid with his friend, Amber, who get lost in the middle of nowhere. They find a castle which Copper does not want to go in, but Amber convinces him to go in. Amber then ends up missing, and it’s Copper’s job to find her. Not really an original storyline, is it?

Summary

During the game you can pick up various objects to use as weapons against the enemies, this is one of the best parts of the game as there are over 100 different weapons/objects you can pick up and use against the various enemies though out the game. There are various enemies throughout the game, but they're mostly variations of their 'master' creatures. With over 50 rooms and 100 levels, this game won’t get boring quickly unless you don’t use any of the 100 weapons against them, in which case the game can get repetitive. I admit this game isn't for everyone, but if you like the sound of it, rent it. SP