3.5/5 ★ – MasterCreate97's review of Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

Rare is a Video Game company that was once known for pumping out gaming classics like Banjo Kazooi 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 as 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. The story has that unmistakable charm that Rare was once known for. 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 likeable 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 pit 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 opportunity to explore. The cel shaded graphics look really good and it holds up well to even games of today as a result. The music is beyond enjoyable and brings a sense of spookiness but also cartoonish fun. I especially like how the in between cutscenes are shown through a sort of animated comic book. This is a great 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 fun game to play seasonally especially around Halloween. (Grade B+)