AAAHH!!! Real Monsters

"Frightening Players Away"

Intro
AAAHH!!! Real Monsters is Nickelodeon’s attempt to recreate their cartoon where novice monsters go to a monster academy to learn how to truly become scary monsters. The video game uses this as the base for the story. In the game, you are given orders by Gromble, the headmaster as you control the three main characters—Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina—through their quest to pass their mid-term exam.

Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, this game may disappoint. As far as the control is concerned, I have no complaints, I like the fact that you can switch between the three characters, each with their own abilities. I think the overall environment of the game really recreates the overall environment of the television show. Another positive point of the game would be the attacks. Just like in the TV show, when you get into a tough situation, you can just use one of your scares to quickly scare all the enemies on screen. The downfall of this game comes with its difficulty. I think this game is entirely too difficult, especially for the crowds that this game was meant for. Most teenagers would have problems finishing this game as it is, but this game is meant for the Nicktoon watching (about 7-12 year old) crowd. The concept of the game is good, but the makers of this game should have put more thought in the difficulty of this game.

Story
Well, the story is basically what I said in the introduction. You are sent through missions which are all a part of your mid-term exam. You get graded after every mission. Your grade depends upon how many pickups you received and how many enemies you defeat. Your ultimate goal is to defeat the Monster Hunter. You beat the game, you pass the mid-term... there\'s not much else to this story.

Graphics
I have to admit that I enjoy the graphics. The game gave me exactly what I would expect. There were no big \'\'WOW\'s\'\' when it comes to the graphics, but the graphics are just enough to recreate what you see on TV. One thing that many will like is the look of the scares. It\'s fun to see the little monsters suddenly grow and scream to scare people away.

Sounds
Well, there really isn\'t much to the sounds of this game. The music is pretty boring and the sound effects are nothing special. I just think there should be more to the sounds of this game.

Play Time/Replayability
Well, I can\'t really tell you the playtime, because I basically gave up on this game after a few levels. This game was too hard for me and I didn\'t have the patience to keep going. This game is a game which you beat and you get so proud of yourself for beating it, but you never want to play that game again. After all the trouble you go through, Nickelodeon should send prizes to people who beat this game because the satisfaction of winning doesn\'t seem to be enough for all the difficulty this game puts you through.

Final Recommendation
I think this game really is meant for fans of the cartoon. By now, this game should be at a low price, so if you like the cartoon, you may enjoy this game. But for the average gamer, this game is only for those who like the challenge.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03