Gaming Target - GameCube: The Haunted Mansion

Written by Matt Swider on August 21, 2003

Hands-On Preview: Already deserves points for not including Eddie Murphy with lame comments that are Сdigitized and repeatized.'

Disney had a turn at dominating the box office this summer by bringing its Pirates of the Caribbean ride to life on the big screen. Back for more, the Mickey Mouse company has already created a film inspired by another one of its theme park attractions, The Haunted Mansion. Meanwhile, TDK Mediactive and High Voltage Software have taken charge of coming up with a video game that's loosely based on both the movie as well as the classic Disneyland and Disneyworld ride. Though the cast for this frightful flick includes the likes of Eddie Murphy and lacks a stellar performance from Johnny Depp, be not afraid of the video game because Pluto Nash never steps foot in the virtual mansion. Instead, the game stars an unknown character named Zeke Holloway with a goal that's true to the ride and to the movie: find a way out of the infamous mansion filled with 999 ghosts before becoming the 1000th evil spirit. For moviegoers it's merely a matter of sitting back in the theater and riders only need to take in the experience through a rotating car. But, so far, this multi-console creation is much more challenging and ends up being just as fun for video game participants.

Putting ghosts to rest throughout Gracey Mansion entails a lot of running, jumping, shooting and capturing. As a scrawny lightweight character, Zeke jumps high and can run rather fast. However, careful steps will sometimes save you from running into unfriendly ghosts or running past one of the game's intricate puzzles. When confronted by a ghost though, the lantern that Zeke comes equipped with works as an upgradeable shooting device and doubles as a way of collecting their souls, much like the vacuum Luigi uses in his own haunted house adventure. But, before you can even begin capturing ghosts in this game, each room requires turning on a light switch that's indicated when first entering. Reaching switches involves the use of platform mechanics as well as puzzle solving skills, all of which reveal hidden passages and special power-ups along the way.

There are several examples of how the puzzles in The Haunted Mansion surpass average games often hampered by their limited goals like retrieving keys and opening doors. Whether it's causing books to rise and form floating platforms, jumping through portal-like paintings to reach inaccessible floors, or dodging dishes to spark a fire from one side of the room to the other, each mystery and their solutions to follow should keep the game interesting and gamers involved. However, there's nothing better than the widely publicized pool table puzzle. Like most things within the haunted mansion, this is no ordinary game of pool either. It places a shrunken Zeke on a giant billiard table where the ghost is in control of the cue ball and has it in for poor, defenseless you. This means that you must line up shots and dodge the cue ball so that it sinks all of the pool balls into the pockets, the eight ball being the final one. Doing so returns Zeke to a normal size and allows him to continue his quest.

After completing certain puzzles that lead to flicking on the lights of a room, it's mostly a matter of seeking out ghosts, often hidden in furniture like chests, bookshelves, tables and chairs, until the next room of the mansion can be accessed. Collecting an adequate amount and progressing through much of Gracey Mansion reveals locations with a likeness to the Disney attraction. It also reveals that much larger enemies exist like giant spiders and figures resembling the grim reaper figure. Besides ride similarities among the characters, rooms and puzzles, other aspects should be evident to repeat riders from the beginning of the game. Load screens take on recognizable ghostly forms as the game boots up and the familiar voice of the ghost host acts as an early guide along with other contributing Disney talents. These additions help make the interactive experience feel more authentic and the dark and creep graphics help blend the cartoon visuals with a more mature feel. In fact, this Disney game will receive a СTeen' rating as a result.