AAAHH!!! Real Monsters

"Oh, Icky-Poo!"

Introduction:
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is one of the greatest cartoons shown by Nickelodeon ever. Unfortunately, the series ended and you can no longer catch the monsters on TV, except for a very rare rerun here and there. But the monsters live on in the SNES game, and in the hearts of people everywhere. I know, I know, this is the lamest introduction you've ever read.

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are very nice for a SNES game. The characters look just like they do in the cartoon, and even the backgrounds do too. While the backgrounds do repeat quite often, they are very detailed and all of them are based on places from the cartoon series. There is the garbage dump in which the monsters live, the mall, the school, the post office, museum, etc. Each area has a unique look to it that brings back memories of the cartoon.

Music/Sound: 6/10
The background music isn't too great in this game. Its not terrible, just nothing that will draw you into the game. Its mainly just there so that its not too quiet. The sounds effects are actually pretty decent. While you only hear some grunts and moans from the monsters when they are hurt, you can tell their voices apart.

Story: 7/10
The monsters live in the dump where they travel to random parts of the city and scare people. They then go back to the Grumble (their teacher) and show them their scares via a headset that connects to their brains and displays the events on a TV screen thingie. Anywho, lately a monster-hunter named Simon has been bothering the monsters. Your job is to guide Ickis, Krum, and Oblina through multiple levels to stop the "evil" Simon.

Gameplay: 6/10
This game is very fun. Its a normal action/adventure game with jumping, shooting, etc. You can throw garbage at enemies to defeat them, or use some of your limited scares to scare them away. There are a bunch of jumping parts in this game, as well as parts where you have to use each monsters' special powers. Oblina can climb upon the guys and jump onto high ledges. Krum can throw one of his eyes and see farther into the levels. And Ickis can slingshot himself onto a far ledge. The only reason this game didn't get higher is because it is difficult. There are no saves nor is there a password system in this game. You must play through every level in one sitting. And that is close to impossible.

Replayability: 4/10
Once you beat it there isn't much more to do. But maybe go back through and just gaze upon the scenery.

Overall: 6/10
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is a great game, if you can look past it's extreme difficulty.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/04