Scooby Doo Night of 100 Frights review

I was originally going to make a standalone review of Scooby Doo Mystery Mayhem, but since I played both that and this, I figured it'd be fair to talk about both (in separate intervals of course) and in the proper order.

History

We've all know about Scooby-Doo. We've either seen it, heard of it or seen some merchandise for it. It requires no introduction, especially since it has diverged every few years. Scooby-Doo has always had a rough evolution, going from a formulaic monster of the week format with the same outcome, to that along with a crossover aspect with celebrities and other cartoon characters, to a plethora of the first mixed with Scrappy Doo, to some unmentionables, to proof that good direct-to-video animated movies can be done, to the live action movies which I refuse to believe are as bad as people say they are, bite me, back to direct-to-video animated films that occasionally aired on Cartoon Network that's at a bar set by Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, to a modernized retelling of the first series, to whatever the fuck KidsWB! aired, to a dark version that thankfully doesn't go for a tacky anime motif, and now they're tangling with the WWF in direct-to-video format... and people give The Simpsons shit for being on for so long.

Ironically, this crazy evolution kinda applies to the various video games released since the late-80s. It started out simple (complex in concept, going by the publisher's hopes, simple in overall execution) with a game for numerous home computers. By the 16-bit era, developers became more split on what to do with the games, evident by how there's one Scooby-Doo game, but of two different variants. Basically, there was an SNES game that acted like a side-scroller, while the Genesis received a point and click title. Personally, I like the latter for attempting to keep with the spirit of the mystery element of the core series. There was also another PC game released in the late-90s, but all I know about that is that its developer worked on a Crayola game I played as a kid.

It was when they moved on to fifth-generation consoles that the Scooby-Doo games began to falter. To put it into perspective, the N64 version of Classic Creep Capers was deemed a disappointment, while the Game Boy Color version received better overall reviews. Likewise, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase can be considered little more than a tie-in to a direct-to-video movie of all things, and of all the four movies, they went for the worst possible one.

But not all hope was lost. In 2002, before they created what's considered to be one of the best Nickelodeon games of all time, Heavy Iron Studios threw their hat into the ring and decided to make a glorified tribute to the cartoon. What's interesting to note is that this was Heavy Iron's second attempt at a video game, their first being an Evil Dead game from 2000.

It started off simple. THQ had the license to the Scooby-Doo series since 2000, and with Heavy Iron being a wholly owned subsidiary, it was a matter of laying the idea down. I wouldn't put it past THQ for them to give their developers creative freedom, because Heavy Iron went all out with this game.

Part of a recreated intro.

To start with, they wanted to keep the spirit present in the original cartoon. They recreated the classic intro, featured music that wouldn't sound out of place in the cartoon (more on that soon), those weird laugh tracks every now and again and for good measure, Don Knotts, who when you don't talk to him, offers colorful commentary.

No kidding.

So we have a faithful adaptation of Scooby-Doo so what? The overall quality is still up in the air.

Premise

It's the typical Scooby-Doo, go to a mysterious location, find out about a ghost and later unmasking them schtick. Couldn't go without that. But there's a twist. Apparently they're facing the return of various old enemies, all abiding to the Mastermind, and for good measure he's voiced by Tim Curry.

And here he is.

Fred, Daphne and Velma set out to look for clues, leaving Shaggy and Scooby on their own, par the course. Only this time, Shaggy winds up disappearing as well, cluing us in to the fates of the other three.

Gameplay

Like many sixth-generation games at the time, this is a 3D platform. You play as Scooby-Doo and traverse through three different areas, the manor, the hedge maze and the fishing village. You also have the playground which serves as a basic tutorial for what you can do and what you'll encounter throughout the game. All three are home to a wide array of levels, but the order you do them in isn't important, especially since at some point you'll run into dead ends.

To combat an otherwise simple platformer, there'll be areas that'll halt your progress. These are in the form of "snack gates", where you need a certain number of Scooby Snacks (this game's currency) to open it. There're also points where you need a special ability to progress, that's where the inventions come in. Throughout the game, you'll encounter different inventions, some of which you'll get after defeating a boss, others you could find scattered throughout the game, and believe me, you'll need these. Among the inventions are:

• Springs: You start out with a single jump, but when you get these you could perform a double jump.
• Shovel: You'll find some weirdly placed flowers throughout the game. If you have the shovel you could dig them up and occasionally find health, Scooby snacks or the occasional piece of ammo for your later abilities.
• Helmet: Dash attack. Used to break through spiderwebs, crates, anything else that seems breakable. It's also necessary to tackle larger enemies and hit most switches.
• Lampshade and slippers: Used to sneak by enemies. I don't recall the extent, but I believe that this is only effective if you stand still.
• Armor: Now you could sneak past enemies more effectively.
• Slam: A ground pound. This is another method to attack enemies, and mandatory to break through floor barricades and hit switches. Until the upgrade, you could only do damage from above the enemy, this could also give you an extra boost if you're close enough to a platform.
• Super slam: Now you could slam the ground in front of the enemy to stun them. Ideal to get out of a situation where you're overwhelmed by your enemies.
• Plunger: Allows you to climb up sloped surfaces you'd normally slip down from.
• Gum shooter: Allows you to trap enemies. You could even bounce off their heads.
• Galoshes: Tar is littered across most of the levels, and it could prevent you from jumping. With this invention, you could move and jump regularly.
• Soap box: Another projectile weapon. Now you could use enemies as platforms.
• Umbrella: Used to glide over long distances and ride air currents.

These may seem excessive, but as you go on you'll find yourself relying on these items. It's especially necessary since there're areas you encounter early on that you can't get to without these items, and these inventions can either only be obtained after fighting a boss or are in a level you can't get to yet. Right off the bat, this increases the game's replay value, it's always fun going back to areas you've missed.

There's a major sense of progression in each area. In the Manor, you actually get to explore every facet of the manor from the hallways to the tower to the attic, even the balconies. In the hedge maze, you start there, encounter a greenhouse, the mountains, the cliffside, the caves before it goes into a graveyard and crypt. Damn, that's some progression. Ultimately, the Fishing Village has the most progression, it's there you travel to find the last major boss. You go through the docks, a cannery, a cave, the shipwrecks, right down to more caves and secret passageways before you find a dungeon, and ultimately a secret laboratory which'll lead you right to the Mastermind. Quite an adventure, but for a licensed game, how could you go wrong?

Among the enemies you'll face throughout the game, you'll encounter the classic Scooby-Doo rogues gallery, the Wolf Man, the Zombie, the Witch, Captain Moody, the Funland Robot, the Ghost Diver, the Headless Spectre, the Sea Monster, the Gargoyle, to name a few, and you also get to encounter some small fry such as rats, crabs, bats, spiders and flying fish.

You encounter three mini bosses followed by a final one. In Mystic Manor, you encounter the Black Knight. It's appropriate you start here since this was the first enemy Mystery Inc. ever encountered. You have four switches to choose from, and you need to hit the one the Black Knight is standing by. Do this four times and you win, but watch out, you also have to put up with a raincloud and the witch. If this were an endgame type story, it would've been interesting to have the Black Knight be the final enemy, go full circle, be provocative, but that's just me, this is fine enough as is.

Next is the Green Ghost, honestly one of the more questionable choices when you take into account that there were multiple versions of this in its one appearance. You encounter him in the Hedge Maze area, just hit the right switch when the ghost is above the coffin behind it and you're set. Interestingly, the description they give for the green ghost is the one used for an enemy on A Pup Named Scooby Doo.

What the game uses.

What they're talking about.

And you thought I wouldn't notice. Tsk tsk.

You then hit a crossroad which'll either put you on the path to the Mastermind or the Red Beard Ghost; the latter's in the shipwrecks. Just dodge the rounds of ghosts and the sword Red Beard throws. Make it hit the ropes holding a treasure chest in mid-air until it falls. What's interesting to note is that once you complete this, you won't be able to reenter the room from the way you originally came in. There is a way to get back in, go to the other side of the ship where the room is present, bounce off the top of the caveman enemy's head, go close to the wall of the ship and you're set. I bring this up because there's a back to the starting area shortcut.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. There're numerous shortcuts littered throughout most levels. These exist so you could get back to the starting point quicker, usually if you either don't have the required invention to progress or if you need to round up more Scooby snacks to open a gate. There're also warp zones you could unlock so you could go to certain points faster. I bring this up because these instances are fairly common. 

Okay, back to the bosses, you're next bout is with the Mastermind. Unlike the other battles where they were more straight forward, this one is slightly more complicated. First, you have to battle two enemies, once they're down you could hit two switches that're hidden behind electrical barricades. Do this for three rounds and then you could face the Mastermind head on. While contending with spawning enemies, you have to stun the Mastermind and run him into the electrical barriers.

After all that, you're free to explore the game and seek out whatever you missed. There's another area you could visit, something of a bonus area (locked behind a pay barrier of course), the Monster Gallery. Here, you could see profiles for the various monsters you encounter, as well as view some cutscenes and concept art. The latter is more of a headache than you think it is. Those scooby-snacks constitute as more than toll fare. You need to collect a certain amount to unlock the stills.

It's honestly the most sadistic aspect about the game, but that's not saying much, it seems straightforward, but I never had any luck finding all of the Scooby snacks. Of this, you get an introduction to how the levels are designed (this does a better job at explaining game design than Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius for GC/PS2), along with some concept art for the levels. And what's your reward for getting them snacks?

Disappointment rivaled only by Pac Man World 2.

There're also monster tokens scattered across the levels. Some are easy to snag, others require some problem solving or the right invention. These amount to you finding full-bodied projections of these creatures in the gallery along with some information and some Scooby-Doo trivia.

Graphics

The graphics are par the course for the year. The in-game graphics are fine, the background are even better. They fit the haunted vibe Scooby-Doo is known for. The cutscenes aren't as satisfactory. I give props for them trying to be close to the show in the opening, but it was at a cost. Maybe they wanted to follow the style of the show to a tee and opted for acceptable animation, i.e., not their best.

Music

To put this into perspective, Tommy Talarico worked as a composer on this game. The music fits the levels they appear on, as well as the show it's based on. But that's just the general levels, the boss levels doubled down and hard. The boss fights contain actual songs, like songs with lyrics. This is yet another allusion to Scooby-Doo where they occasionally have music video style scenes where the gang encounter the main monster.

The sound effects used in the game fit the show as well. They use a number of classic Hanna-Barbera sound effects, okay, they got it down in all but the Green Ghost department, give these guys a reward.

Overall

The worst thing anyone ever had to say about the game was the camera angles and the overall simplicity. When I played the game the camera didn't hinder me, and as for a simple game, it's still fairly intuitive, anyone could get into it. For what it's worth, Heavy Iron did an honorable tribute to Scooby-Doo, and it helped breathe life back into the Scooby-Doo games.

However, this was their only Scooby-Doo game. Behaviour Interactive (then Artificial Mind & Movement) kept it going with Mystery Mayhem), then the games... well... just started existing. Guess that's one turkey we won't be seeing for a while.