Halloween Scream (XBLIG): "Classy Interactive Storytelling At It's Finest"

Sometimes I find that I'm guilty of pre-judging a game before I even play it myself. I'll often times take a look at the XBL marketplace screenshots in order to get a glimpse at what I'd be reviewing if I took on the task of reviewing a requested game. I know I shouldn't judge games simply on screenshots, but heaven forbid I get stuck reviewing some half-assed game that had little thought applied to it's design. In the case of Bandana Game's newly released XBLIG title, "Halloween Scream" I went in thinking that it was going to be some sort of mediocre digital story that might as well be a part of the Amazon Kindle digital book library. I didn't think that perhaps the developer had created something amazing, beyond what a digital novel could offer. In retrospect I'm sorry for my pre-game judgement, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to experience this intriguing Halloween tale from the talented developer, Bandana Games. They did an outstanding job with their well versed tale of horror.

In Halloween Scream you take on the role of a nephew who has been sent an invitation to meet his Aunt about a possible inheritance. Upon arriving at the estate in question he is abruptly greeted by a mystery lady on horseback who warns him of the impending dangers that lie in wait for him. Ignoring the warnings, and curious about his inheritance the nephew ventures forward into the manor in hopes of finding out more about the situation he has committed himself to. As you can likely imagine all is not as it seems in this tale of horror. As our wayward protagonist makes his way further into the many rooms of the manor, and it's grounds it becomes more, and more apparent that the impending danger that he was warned about earlier holds more truth than fiction.

Through detective-like skills, and puzzle solving you will guide the nephew through the manor, and other areas surrounding the estate. As the story is told (mostly through dialogue) your interactions will be done through choices that correspond to the pressing of the four main buttons of your Xbox 360 controller (X, Y, B, A). Through these interactions you will be able to choose path directions, examine rooms, and objects as well as gather items that are necessary for advancing the plot of the story. Since the story does have a somewhat set path there are certain things that must be done in a particular order in order to make progress. What makes this interactive story most unique though is that there are right, and wrong choices that can be made during the telling of the nephew's tale. Choosing a bad choice/interaction could lead to a game over at certain points in your playthrough, and will leave you starting over from scratch (or the last save point). While there are plenty of interactive options within the story choosing wisely is definitely the key to success.

All in all "Halloween Scream" was a pleasant, and well versed game that held my undivided attention. The developer's words were of college level range, and painted the scenario well enough that no real gameplay was needed in it's stead. I definitely liked the fact that the developer chose to include monochromatic pictures as a backdrop to each of the events of the story. The musical soundtrack was also well chosen, and offered an eerie atmosphere that made the game seem all the more more frightening. Audio applications such as the sounds of keys turning in locks, or doors creaking open added a sort of realistic tone to the overall experience making it feel as if you were actually on location in the estate of the story. In the end Bandana Games has presented a very awesome XBLIG Halloween story worthy of the asking price. If you're looking for a simple game with which to celebrate the upcoming holiday then I suggest you pick this title up!