Nerdicus Genesis Review #2 : AAAAHH! Real Monsters!

Title :  AAAHH!! Real Monsters

Publisher : Viacom

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1995

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $6-$7

Growing up in the nineties meant one thing - you spent your Saturday mornings and weekdays after school watching Nick Cartoons. This was Nickelodeon's golden years of animation, and they produced a slew of hits such as Rocco's Modern Life, Rugrats, and of course, Aaaahh!! Monsters (which in my opinion, was one of the best.)

Think of it as a precursor to Monster's Inc. It follows three monsters in training, Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm who are attending a Monster Academy that trains them to properly scare humans. Sounds familiar, right? Well the game takes place right during midterms, and in order to pass they have to scare a whole bunch of people in order to impress headmaster Gromble. Was I the only one who hated Gromble and his red heels? Freaked me out.

Anyway, I was a sucker for these TV show based games when I was younger, so you knew I had this one. So let's give it a whirl. Here's AAAHH!! Real Monsters for the Sega Genesis.

You control all three characters in this game, alternating between whichever one you want as they each have their own specific abilities which are more effective in scaring victims, or getting past certain points. Ickis can fly, Oblima can stretch and grab ledges, and Krumm can look ahead with his eyeballs. There are also team based combo moves that you can perform including massive scare tactics that clear out all the enemies on the screen.

I'm telling you, this game is like playing the cartoon. It's legitimately awesome. Not to mention the animation and art design is practically stellar. Check out these cut scenes.

 At the beginning of each stage, Gromble tells you how many people you need to scare in order to pass the level. Scare em all, and you move on to the next. There's around 25 levels or so in this game, and they each get progressively more difficult.

It's a typical platformer, so there isn't much to get used to. At times, the screen moves a little bit too fast for it's own good and the characters have a little bit of a "slippery ground" effect, but not too bad. A minor setback for an otherwise solid title. You've also got a pretty good soundtrack going, and the sound effects themselves are pretty decent. Certain times though, it seems to bug out and sounds a bit too much like static or feedback.

But still, even with those minor problems, Aaahh! Real Monsters proves that you can make a decent game based on a cartoon. It's not perfect. It's not revolutionary. But it's a hell of a lot of fun. And if you were a fan of the show when you were a kid, you'd be a fool to not want to play this.

So I dare you to take on the Gromble's challenge. Or face the wrath of his red heels. Reminds me of Tim Curry....

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!