The idea is cute and full of possibilities. Real monsters kidnap your sibling on Halloween and you have to rescue them. However the schtick is that your costume gives you the real powers of whatever is depicted. Basically the game is exploration, mini games, and Pokémon style combat. Remarkably the combat is even more limited than Pokémon. Each costume has one default attack and then a special that can be activated every three turns. There's also an add on slot which you can use for one extra - be it another attack or a boost to your existing powers. Play with a game pad because the game features quasi QTE - every home attack can be boosted or enemy attack partially blocked by a timed button press. You need to be able to do this reasonably consistently to win fights. Levelling up boosts your powers and hit points but there are no choices on levelling up. The main graphics are cute for the main characters and generally okay if nothing special for the backgrounds. Character interaction is pretty limited and not particularly amusing. Game balance is reasonably good. I struggled to find a final house to Trick or Treat during the first level, stumbled out of the dark third level by accident, and there was only one fight towards the beginning which took several attempts. Game structure isn't great. You reach the two end battles without much fanfare - almost as if the game was planned to be larger and stopped prematurely. The first of the final two battles I redid once because I didn't have the right kit, the final one I nailed first time, This is a great intro game for younger children who may appreciate its simplicity. Overall though the premise probably deserved a better game. I bought this in the last sale for a buck and at that price it's good value. But you might be left wishing that a more ambitious game had been attempted with such interesting possibilities.
