Monster Bash HD

Monster Bash HD, developed by Emberheart Games and published by Apogee Entertainment, is a faithful remaster of a classic early ’90s platformer that aims to preserve its original identity while making it more approachable for modern audiences. Rather than reinventing the experience, it focuses on updating visuals and smoothing out some of the rougher edges, resulting in a game that feels both nostalgic and, at times, unmistakably dated. The premise is simple and charming in a distinctly retro way. Players control Johnny Dash, a young boy armed with a slingshot, who ventures into a monster-filled world to rescue his kidnapped dog and other captured animals. Each level revolves around locating and freeing all the caged pets before reaching the exit, creating a clear objective that combines exploration with progression. This structure gives the game a consistent sense of purpose, encouraging players to thoroughly search each stage rather than simply rushing to the end. Gameplay is built around classic side-scrolling platforming combined with light combat. Players jump across hazards, avoid enemies, and use the slingshot to clear obstacles or defeat threats. The controls are simple and easy to understand, which makes the game accessible, but the mechanics do not evolve significantly as the game progresses. While the balance between platforming and combat keeps the experience engaging in the early stages, the lack of new abilities or meaningful variation becomes more noticeable over time. Level design is one of the stronger aspects of the game. Stages are filled with hidden paths, secret areas, and collectible items that reward exploration. The requirement to rescue all animals before completing a level adds an extra layer of challenge, encouraging players to revisit areas they might have missed. However, the environments themselves do not vary dramatically, and the overall structure remains consistent throughout, which can lead to a sense of repetition during longer play sessions. The HD remaster introduces updated visuals that enhance clarity while maintaining the original aesthetic. Improved textures, smoother animations, and subtle visual effects make the game more visually appealing without altering its core design. These changes help modernize the presentation, but they do not fully mask the age of the underlying gameplay. The design philosophy remains rooted in its era, which can make certain aspects feel rigid compared to more contemporary platformers. Difficulty is another area where the game reflects its origins. While the remaster includes more forgiving systems, such as checkpoints and unlimited continues, some sections can still feel challenging in ways that are not always fair. Enemy placement and sudden hazards occasionally create frustration, especially when success depends on memorization rather than skill. These moments are part of the classic design, but they may not align with modern expectations of balance. Additional features, such as new secret levels and a level editor with community support, add some extra value. The ability to create and share custom stages extends the game’s lifespan and offers more content beyond the original campaign. While these additions are not essential to the core experience, they provide an incentive for players who want to engage with the game beyond its main levels. The audio design complements the game’s tone with a mix of eerie and playful elements. The soundtrack reinforces the spooky yet lighthearted atmosphere, while sound effects remain simple but effective. Although not particularly memorable, the audio fits well within the game’s overall presentation. Despite its improvements, Monster Bash HD remains limited by its adherence to the original design. The gameplay loop does not evolve significantly, and the repetition becomes more apparent as the game progresses. It excels in short sessions, where its charm and simplicity are most effective, but it can struggle to maintain engagement over longer periods. In the end, Monster Bash HD succeeds as a respectful remaster that preserves the essence of a classic platformer while making it more accessible. It offers a nostalgic experience that will appeal most to fans of retro games, though its dated design and limited variety may prevent it from resonating as strongly with players seeking a more modern platforming experience. Rating: 8/10

Fun little retro platform game

This game has been in the back of my mind since I played it at my grandma's house when I was very young. Perhaps too young, as I only ever played Chapter 1: level 1. Now I can look at it objectively, these are my thoughts: Structure: it follows the same basic formula as Commander Keen, but with the advances from the intervening few years. CK with a halloween twist is something that may seem baffling, but the studio's trademark humor really helps pull it off. The Protagonist: Johnney Dash is, while a silent protagonist (minus the damage sounds) quite well rounded. Much like Keen, he's a young boy trying to live a normal life, but stuff happens and he has to rise to the occasion. Also, don't think I didn't catch the reference to the late legend Johnny Cash in there. The graphics retain that early 90s almost Duke Nukem II style which hits the right spot for me personally. I know some people wanted 32 or 64 bit colour in the remaster, but then it might as well be rebuilt from the ground up (like New n Tasty was for the Oddworld franchise back in 2014). The HD remaster does it justice. It is very faithful to the original, with the hints of new things being the sugar on top. When looking at footage of the original, I can see the sheer dedication to cleaning up the oroginal, but still keeping to what was there. The new parralax scroll, colour grading and sprite cleanup all make this the definitive experience. There is only one flaw I have with it and that is the Blocks achievement is bugged, almost barring 100% completion. (Some have been able to get around it somehow). The new level editor, whilst it had its issues in the earlier days on steam, seems to have been patch-fixed. I haven't used it yet. So, i have little to say on it presently. If I had to give any feedback to the devs, it's just to tighten up the buggy achievement. I could ramble about the ones I can't get but that's, as the kids say: a skill issue. This is an objective, if slightly personal review, after all. There is only so much you can do with old code. Old languages are jargon to those who learned newer stuff like Python. So, I am not expecting too much alteration. The new additions shine and the older stuff, i feel is as it should be. The only other thing I can say is thanks to the devs for taking part in the community. I have no clue if any of them are from the original team or friends/descendants of them, or even just big 90s fans, but however you guys got this done, I think you should be proud. Side note: as the owner of 3 Dalmations, and knows someone who used to have a Persion Cat, those pets would not be so calm in those cages. That's not criticism. That's just me having a good old chuckle. Finally, nostalgia aside. Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It gets your memories if you're an old hand at it, and engages if you're new to it. The midi score is fitting, the enemy varieties are decent and challenging, the gore can be a bit much for very young kids, but it's so cartoony it is hardly the worst game to worry about (even back then, DOOM was far more aggregious). Monster Bash is perfect for fun, not just on Halloween, but any time you want to have it. Also, since I mentioned Jonney Cash before, I am aware of The Monster Mash pun in the title. The classic rock influences are storming above this game. Might even get some new folks into some good music.

This an actual remaster, not just high res textures running in dosbox. Controller support works perfectly. Vibes are on point. This is a love letter. To the dev who did this? Good job. I see you.

I played a good few shareware Apogee games in my childhood and I enjoyed all the ones I remember like Biomeance or Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure and especially Commander Keen. But I never played Monster Bash before so along with two other games I never played, I decided to finally give the game a try. And the verdict is not good. Lets get the good out of the way, Johnny is fun to control, his controls are responsive and the slingshot is a fun and fast weapon even though you have to keep pressing the button to fire. Didn’t care for the music but it fits the halloween them the game is going for along with the art which is surprisingly graphic for what I assume is a kids game. And it’s a good thing they removed the lives from the game cause if I didn’t have infinite lives, I might have given up by level 5. So let's get to the bad now: The FOV is too close so the game doesn’t show me all I need to get past as while I could look up or down, I can’t look further left or right which would lead to some unfair hits or death. Like in level 1-5 there’s a small puzzle where you have to time your hits to freeze the golems to cross a pool of water, but the spot to hit them is further than you can see. And the look down doesn’t look all the way down since in 3-4 there’s a small platform you have to jump on but you can’t see it. This isn’t helped by the level design. Due to the gameplay revolving around looking for caged pets, more open or easy to navigate levels are the way to go with more linear levels being a mistake. But a good chunk of the levels do feel very linear and that every level has an exit instead of ending when you save every pet so if you managed to get to the exit before finding them all, you either need to backtrack throughout the entire level or restart and start from scratch. Sure they added a compass to help find those missing pets but it can only help so far in those levels with doorways. It’s not the worst game I ever played and might be enjoyable to those guys who like hard platformers, but its design flaws makes it more frustrating than it needs to be.

A well made, hassle-free, modern version of a wonderful classic.

Just like when I was a kid