Goosebumps Horrorland

- Reviewed on Wii -

Goosebumps Horrorland released on October 28th, 2008. 

With a huge intellectual property such as Goosebumps, developers, Gusto Games had a great opportunity to make something special.

Goosebumps is filled with popular characters such as Slappy and also has a plethora of stories to choose from.

That's why I was a little disappointed with Goosebumps Horrorland. Specifically, the Nintendo Wii version of Goosebumps Horrorland.

There's also a Nintendo DS version of this game, but for this review, I'll be covering the Wii port. 

It's not like it's a big difference though, as Goosebumps Horrorland is the same game between the two platforms, just with different controls / graphics.

With that being said, I much rather play the Nintendo DS version of Goosebumps Horrorland, as the Wii motion controls for this version are absolutely horrible!

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Though I have many gripes with this fantasy / horror title, I will admit that Goosebumps Horrorland  does have an enjoyable story.

The plot begins with you (either a boy or girl) randomly getting a knock on your door. 

One of the "horrors" from the park leaves a ticket for you, and what is it?

Well, it's a magical ticket to Goosebumps Horrorland, where nightmares come to life!

You already know this game is in the fantasy genre with the ripped-up ticket magically being put back together, after your character doesn't care initially. 

Someone who does care though, is your side protagonist / best friend, Nate.

The two of you go to Goosebumps Horrorland, and the way everyone acts here is strange. 

The workers in Goosebumps Horrorland are all these green, horned, horrors.

Even as a kid playing this years ago, I knew that Goosebumps Horrorland was trying to give off a slightly creepy aura with its surroundings / characters.

The main game is split into five different park zones. These include...

    - Carnival of Screams

    - Vampire Village

    - Fever Swamp

    - Mad Labs

    - Terror Tombs

The bulk of Goosebumps Horrorland is playing the various minigames across the park.

When you achieve a certain score, you'll be awarded with either a Bronze, Silver, and / or Gold Fright (Token).

These are used to enter the next, linear park zone. 

You can't just go to any park in the beginning. You'll have to keep playing the open minigames, available to you, in order to acquire a specific number of frights.

This is a well-made gameplay mechanic, as it makes the player have to engage with pretty much all the minigames. You can't stack frights with just one minigame.

Now, one gameplay mechanic that is not "well-made", specifically for the Wii version of Goosebumps Horrorland... is the motion controls!

The sheer number of times I nearly quit this game entirely and almost didn't review it, was because the motion controls for the minigames sucked!

The games where you don't have to swing / move the Wii remote, and just use buttons instead, were so much better. 

You'd think the main gameplay would have good controls, but no.

This is why I highly encourage players to choose the DS version of Goosebumps Horrorland. 

The graphics are a giant step down (obviously), but honestly, that version has charm to it. 

This version has trash controls and expects players to play all 30 plus minigames with their control scheme. 

Not to mention that some minigames in this game are reskinned multiple times throughout each park zone. 

I do appreciate the artwork in Goosebumps Horrorland however. The posters, maps, park ride ads, loading screens, and more, are very nice and pleasant to look at. 

The 3D graphics are your typical, dated, Nintendo Wii assets. 

Another thing I really liked, that helps the game's longevity, is the collectibles. 

You can consider the Frights themselves as collectibles, but the true treasures are your Monster Cards.

These can be unlocked in various ways. These include buying them from other NPCs, performing a specific task in a minigame, and / or reaching a certain milestone. 

There are 26 Monster Cards to unlock, all with exclusive artwork and card descriptions.

Funny enough, you wouldn't expect a jaw dropping moment from a Goosebumps video game, but I actually did with the plot's ending.

After you save a little girl named Gigi, you then must avoid the green horrors and finish gathering Frights to try and leave this park that no longer feels safe. 

You have to search all over for your ripped up ticket pieces, and once you finish that and leave the park, (SPOILER) Gigi reveals that she's not a little, lost girl, but instead, the foreshadowed Great Gargantua.

That ending was such a good reveal and showed me that Gusto Games really paid great attention to their story / details. 

The fact there was a Great Gargantua poster in the beginning of the game, being covered up purposely by a horror, it made everything make sense. And that is what is most important. Not making the player(s) feel stupid when it comes to the plot / lore. 

In the end (and I've said this already, but it's true) if you really want to play Goosebumps Horrorland and experience the story / minigames, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Nintendo DS version. 

The story is really fun and easy to grasp. And though the game isn't really scary, the horror themed minigames can be a good time!

Pros: 

    - Surprisingly Good Story

    - Neat Minigames

    - Great Artwork

    - Distinguished and Detailed Park Zones 

    - Collectibles

    - Great Music / Audio Design

Cons:

    - Absolutely Horrible Motion Controls

    - 3D Graphic Assets Don't Hold Up Today

    - Reskinned Minigames (Not All of Them Though)

    - Dialogue is too Stupid / Uninteresting

My Rating for Goosebumps Horrorland (on Wii):

3 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.