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The most bizarre NES game you've never played

I thought I would do a "scary" retro game this week in honor of Halloween next week. So here we have Monster Party, a game which you probably have never heard of. It was released for NES in 1989, developed by Human and published by Bandai. It's a platformer of sorts. The game is so weird and different that you can't help but love it. . . and hate it at the same time. 

The story is super bizarre. Mark is walking home one evening when suddenly, a monster lands right in front of him and commissions him to come with him to his monster planet and save it from destruction. The name of this flying monster is "Bert." It strikes fear in the hearts of. . . wait, Bert? Okay. . . so Mark and Bert fly off to this monster planet. 

                                     Kill those killer plant bubbles!

You the player are in control of Mark, who uses a baseball bat as his weapon. The weapon is used in a creative way; you can actually knock objects back at enemies. Most enemies in the game shoot something, and no matter what it is, it can be hit with the bat and sent back at the enemy. Neat gameplay mechanic. Sometimes an enemy will drop a capsule; this capsule will transform Mark into the mighty Bert. Bert can fly and shoot blasts for a short distance (perhaps they're fireballs?). However, you will only have Bert for a limited time and then go back to playing as Mark. 

Each level in the game has three bosses. You will fight these bosses by entering a door. Some doors are empty rooms, and you will simply leave after entering. The bosses are the most interesting part of the game; they're so bizarre! They will say something to you before fighting, most the times pretty humorous. One boss is a mummy that tells you, "My legs are asleep." He proceeds to throw bandages at you. Another boss is a tall knight which actually admits, "I'm a slow-poke." He admits that he is a lame boss. Another boss is a big bull that actually sends cute little cows at you; you have to knock them back into him to defeat him. MP actually takes some gaming conventions and turns them on their heads. The second boss you encounter is already dead; somehow it says to you, "Sorry, I'm dead." Another "boss" is a pair of zombies that say, "Watch our dance" and proceed to dance to a tune. You don't have to fight them, just watch until they're done. 

                         Whoa! Can you turn off the blood in this game?

But the most bizarre boss is a group of fried foods that attack you. First, you are attacked by a fried shrimp--terrifying! Then, a fried onion ring--horrifying! Finally, a fried shishkabob--I can't take it! You have to love the fact that MP is so full of creativity and humor, especially during this time when tons of games were going strictly by the rules. 

At the same time, MP has some serious gruesome stuff in it, especially for an NES game. Halfway through the first level, everything changes into a dark setting; suddenly, the screen is filled with skulls that have blood oozing out of their sockets. The continue screen is a group of skeletons sitting in a pool of blood. And I haven't even mentioned the ending yet (I'll talk about that in a moment). Suffice to say, MP has some really gruesome stuff in it for a game that seems to be for kids. 

                Bert was just called a baby by a giant flying fried shrimp....

The platforming is not terribly exciting. The levels are mostly mazes in which you must go down a certain path and see if it leads to a door or a dead end. If you reach the end of the level without having killed the three bosses, it won't let you finish. You will have to go back and find that blasted door you missed and take down the boss before you can complete the level. The setting for each level is unique, and the enemies change each time, but the platforming is bland and the layout is mediocre. Also, if you're using Mark, some of the bosses will take a long time to defeat (it's tedious); you can usually power through the bosses using Bert's attack, which is often what I tried to do. The main draw of this game is the bosses, and you can tell it was the focus of the programmers. 

Now we come to the ending of the game. MP has one of the most disturbing endings you will ever see on the NES. It's an ending that you have to see for yourself, so I have it right here for your viewing pleasure. Check it out, and be horrified. 

So as you can see, Mark is somehow stuck in some kind of "Groundhog Day" nightmare. Is it real or not? Creepy and bizarre, and that's what makes MP such a unique and charming game. 

Final Verdict--3 Stars: It's Okay

Monster Party is worth checking out for its bizarre humor, but it's not a very solid game mechanically. Once again, it has bland level design and platforming, and has its share of frustrations (one level has you teleporting from door to door until you find the right route; very annoying). But it's also an extremely unique and creative game. You can tell that they took inspiration from some horror, such as Little Shop of Horrors and Gremlins. Somehow Nintendo let MP pass despite its grotesque images and disturbing ending (which would give any 5 year old nightmares). Well, take it or leave it, MP is the perfect game for this Halloween; if you have the time, check it out. Just be ready to get spooked! 

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.