"Haunted: Halloween '86 (The Curse of Possum Hollow)" Review

If you're digging the retro horror aesthetic of "Stranger Things," "Castle Rock" and "American Horror Story: 1984," "Haunted Halloween" is the next goody you need to go trick-or-treating for.

Developer Retrotainment Games, which is made up of Pittsburgh-based NES enthusiasts, started on the homebrew hobbyist scene but makes a foray into the big leagues here.

Its latest game is a brutally funny, thoroughly captivating throwback, which draws influence from the likes of "Ghouls & Ghosts" and "Castlevania," with a healthy mix of "Final Fight" and "River City Rampage" thrown in.

From the energetically composed chiptune soundtrack, to the lovingly crafted 8-bit visuals and the sly, satirical writing, "Haunted Halloween '86" feels oh so right on the Switch. Whether you're playing in handheld or docked mode, it time-warps children of the 80s back to their youth. For younger gamers, it's a window into the origins that seeded the basic grammar and tropes that would stretch and evolve into gaming's current state.

There's a reason there are so many throwback indie efforts these days -- the gameplay and storytellng mechanics thrived in the days when visual, audio and memory restrictions were so tight. Players were forced to fill in the technological gaps with their imagination, and that added to the legendary air of charm.

"Haunted Halloween '86" nails that aesthetic with resounding authority. Retrotainment Games captures just the right pitch, feel and delivery, and it will be a joy to watch their continuing efforts in recapturing gaming's glory days.


Publisher provided review code.