A gorgeous coat of paint

Although the gameplay in Grabbed by the Ghoulies is simple, perhaps even uninspired, where the game really shines is in its presentation. As mentioned above, the story is told through a storybook, panel by panel. It’s exceptionally well done, and grants an overall cohesive feel to the game.

Graphics

Rare is known for its pleasing visuals in its games, and this one is no exception. At times, Grabbed by the Ghoulies looks like a three-dimensional cartoon, but it doesn’t present itself as cell-shaded. The art is extremely consistent and high in quality, showing that the art team at Rare were all on the same page. Those familiar with Rare’s history of games will find little surprises littered throughout Ghoulhaven Hall, such as a picture of Jetpac – a game for the Sinclair Spectrum, when Rare was still known as Ultimate.

Sound

The soundtrack to Ghoulies is appropriately composed of jingles that’ll remind you of Monster Mash. There’s not a lot of variety in the music, so after slogging through 100 rooms of mashing monsters, things can get a little repetitive. You and the characters you encounter never mutter a single line of dialog. Instead, grunts, groans, and moans accompany dialog cards – something Rare has done in its previous games.