Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror (PlayStation Vita)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): October 21, 2014
- Publisher: UP2161
- Developer: Glitchy Pixel
- Also For: Computer
Game Features:
Review Approach:
The face of terror...
The Story...
Before death, Henry B. Knight owned a manor that meant a lot to him during his time of living. That manor was obtained through his hard work, dedication and many personal sacrifices. So naturally, Henry does not want anyone near that manor! Using his newly found ghostly powers, Henry manages to scare out the new tenants one by one. Will he finally scare off everyone wanting to purchase his manor and finally rest in the afterlife?
There isn't really much of a gripping storyline here. However, it is very clear Glitchy Pixel knew what they were offering with the title to grab the players and throw them into the game immediately. Instead of a story here, the game offers players a fun and rewarding puzzle game experience.
But..How does it play?
The game doesn't require much input from the player, most interaction comes from tapping on one of the abilities at the bottom of the screen and watching the magic happen. What are these abilities given to the player? There are the eight abilities in total to use. This includes, the power to make objects shake, possess victims, throw objects between rooms, create an eerie noise, and many more. In each level, players are given an limited amount of these abilities to use, although, not all of the abilities can be used in each level. Players are also given an indicator of each of the victims. The indicator shows how many times they have to be scared in order to run out of the manor screaming in terror. Not just people in the manor needs to be scared, sometimes pets are thrown into the fray, and beware, pets scare differently from the regular people inside the manor.
Pretty simple, right? Well, the game increases in difficulty with each passing level. Every 15 or so levels, the manor design changes giving the game a different look every so often, from Classics Era, Eighties Era, Modern Era, to Office Era. It starts off as a walk in the park early on but rapidly becomes much more difficult as the players advance. For example, enemy characters, such as the witch, are thrown into the mix. These characters have the power to block the player's abilities forcing them to think more strategically. Now players have to scare off enemy characters in order to unblock the ability that was blocked thanks to that character.
Is it worth your time?
Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror is definitely worth your time and money. It is an addicting, challenging yet simplistic, well crafted casual game. While the game doesn't provide much of a narrative, it makes up for that with its extremely fun gameplay. However, during my playthrough of the game, I did put my Vita and sleep mode with the game running in suspend, guessing it didn't like that as the game crashed and woke my Vita from its sleep. But so far, that has only happened once and hasn't shown any signs of happening again. Poltergiest: A Pixelated Horror is the perfect game if you are in the market for a cheap yet fun experience.
Verdict
- Very simple for players to hop right in
- The game offers a challenging experience
- Nice Soundtrack
- There are technical problems, at least for me
