HAUNTED: Halloween '85 (Original NES Game)

Very retro. Not only is it also available as a NES cartridge. The game design with some unfair situations and by today's standards repetitive gameplay reminds of times before everybody mastered copying Nintendo. You can see an AVGN episode being made on this game, although the game is not infuriatingly hard. I enjoyed playing it. Unlike most 8bit games It's not a remix of some classics or a series of nostalgia moments but authentic retro game.

I very much enjoy when modern games try to emulate NES era gaming, and I'm recommending Haunted: Halloween '85 because it does that very well. Having said that, it definitely has issues. HH85 accurately recreates some of the NES's weaker output, so don't expect to be reminded of the popular classics. It looks and plays more like Ghoul School or the Simpsons games. It's a little janky, the controls feels slippery, the graphics are pretty rough, character design is meh, and it's got a few sections that feel cheap. There's no save feature or password so you have to play through the game in one sitting. No achievements, either, so you don't even get official bragging rights for beating it. But it's got that charm that reminds me of my childhood finding enjoyment in even lousy games. It's not great, but it's playable. I was able to beat it in a couple of hours total which is more than I can say for a lot of low-tier NES games. The gameplay is very simple but there is at least [i]some[/i] depth to the combat, where rapid button presses create punches with different strengths, and holding the down direction on the d-pad when you punch throws a slower-but-powerful uppercut (honestly, most of the game becomes learning how to position yourself to spam uppercuts). The platforming is decent, the tunes are pretty good, and the bosses are at least varied and interesting, requiring unique techniques to beat each one. A couple of the bosses were pretty frustrating, but not impossible. I was able to accumulate a lot of 1-ups (green cans, so keep an eye out for 'em), softening the punishment of the harder areas. HH85 rewards patient and deliberate play, which is a way I enjoy playing a lot of games. Honestly, beating a bad (or mediocre) game is often more satisfying than beating a good game. A well-designed game guides you and gives you everything you need to make consistent progress. A janky game will force you to learn its intricacies in order to squeak your way past unfair obstacles. The former is like being treated to a nice meal. The latter is catching a wild animal with your bare hands so you can survive in the woods. The former may be more pleasant, but the latter comes with a greater sense of accomplishment.

Great throwback game to the NES days. My kiddos loved it and I can't wait to order a copy of the NES cartridge version.

Great retro themed beat em up platformer. The game is exactly like something that you would see on the NES, basic 2 button controls, one button punches and one button jumps. If you press down and punch at the same time your character does an incredibly useful uppercut. Control is super tight and the jumping in this game has a really nice feel to it which makes landing on tiny platforms easy. The game is divided into 6 levels, you are given 5 lives and 3 continues to complete the game. There is no save or password feature here, you must complete the game in one playthrough and start back at the beginning if you do not. Luckily, there are pretty liberal 1-ups spread throughout the level and they regenerate when you die so it is always worthwhile to pick them up when you see them. If you want to take the time you can also cheese the game by finding areas with 2-3 1-ups, pick them up, kill yourself, and repeat. It is time consuming but if you are really struggling it is a nice way to give yourself an advantage. Each of the games levels are fairly long with lots of platforming and a bunch of enemies thrown at you that come flying in from all directions. Combat is tight and feels pretty good, and there is no annoying knockback on hit which eases frustration of having to fight on tiny platforms. Each level also has many chaeckpoints, which is definitely a good thing, but if you need to continue you start back at the beginning of the level. Every level ends in a boss fight, most of which are pretty easy once you learn the pattern but you can expect to die a few times on each one as you do. There is occasional confusion on what you can and can't jump on and a few platforms that blend into the background but these instances are rare and do not detract from the overall experience. The challenge of the game is about average for an nes game. I beat it on my first playthrough with only using one continue on the final boss. It is not an easy game but it is not battletoads or ninja gaiden either. If this game came out when I was a kid I would have loved it and it is a game that retro fans should definitely pick up and play. My only complaint is having to play through the whole game in one sitting. It is a pretty decent length and a save feature would have been nice for those who may not have time to pick it up and play through in one sitting.

I've seen reviews comparing the fighting to river city ransom, but from what I've seen it's not really like that at all. It plays like Super Mario Bros 1 (Super tight jumping controls) but instead of throwing fireballs your guy throws punches (which is why they call it river city but it's more like double dragon in that way.) The soundtrack is cool, sounds like nintendo but it's a bit more amped, you can tell it's newer (than the original nes games) by the soundtrack but it's not a bad thing. So far I really like it, will have to pay it more! If you want it get it on sale .87 cents is a steal!

I've played through this on NES a few years ago. I just tried again today and I struggled to get through it. The game is frustrating due to cheap enemy placement. The gameplay is pretty full so the whole game is kind of a slog. I know it's trying to be a retro game but no one wants limited continues anymore. There is a reason that went away. I actually made it to the final boss with little effort but he wiped out my 30 lives with ease. It took me probably 2 hours to get there. I don't feel the desire to ever try again. I'm going to uninstall and forget I own this.

This is a solid little NES game! The controls are simple, but platforming while fighting off enemies gets progressively harder. Love the different environments as well, especially the movie theater. Highly recommended if you like tough, old school platformers!

A janky, mindless button-masher with no depth and questionable level design choices, further held back by slippery platforming, unfair enemy placement and enemy spam. A decent-looking NES throwback with some cute '80s references but that's about it. No save feature (not even a quick save) and jump punches seem to only work whenever they want to. The [spoiler]scarecrow[/spoiler] boss can also eat a big one.

I love this game. It's got everything I like in one stop. Retro, halloween, great music, and great controls.

Homage to the NES games of yesteryear. Pros - The first and third stages are pretty fun. The background and graphics are pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of the music but it and the sound effects will make you think you're playing an NES game. The first and second boss battles reminded me of old NES fights. Cons - For some reason, the dev decided to take the worst of NES platforming and put it in this game. The platforming is VERY hit or miss. You need precision jumping but with the icy physics, you could easily slide off the edge or in an attempt to overcompensate slide off the other edge. The fighting is hit or miss at times. The second, fourth, and fifth stages are horrendous at this. Honestly, I'm not sure if I could recommend this as a good game.