Haunting (video game)

Infobox VG
title = Haunting Starring Polterguy


developer = Electronic Arts
publisher = Electronic Arts
distributor =
designer =
engine =
version =
released = 1993, November 7, 2006, USA
genre = Action game
modes = Single player
ratings =
platforms = Mega Drive/Genesis, PlayStation Portable

"Haunting Starring Polterguy" is a 1993 video game released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis by Electronic Arts. The game took advantage of Sega's Video Game Ratings Council to include various spooky themes, including green blood. In August 2006, "GameSpot" reported that Electronic Arts would be porting the game to the PlayStation Portable as part of "EA Replay". It was released in the United States on November 7 2006. [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6156902.html]

Gameplay

In the single player game the player controls a rebellious dead teenager (Polterguy) in a house filled with a yuppie family named the Sardini's, through an Isometric perspective. Your job is to scare each family member out of the house by possessing various objects in the house; however, the player has to act quickly as your "ecto" energy bar is slowly depleting and when it is gone you are sent down to the underworld.

Houses

There are a total of four houses which the player must drive the Sardini family from. Over the four houses the character will encounter approximately 400 objects which he can possess and interact with. when the character is in a house his ecto slowly decreases and can be further decreased by the barks of the family's dog, as-well as by the ecto beasts.

Underworld

The underworld is the only way in the game to receive a game-over sequence as it is the only place your character may sustain damage. Your health in these stages is represented by a character portrait. Each time the character sustains damage the portrait will shrink until only the characters eyes remain. In the underworld you must collect all the drops of ecto for the stage as well as find the exit. When you pick up a drop of ecto another will drop from the roof and slowly shrink after a short period of time. There is an on-screen arrow that points to the next ecto drop or the exit, if the ecto or exit cannot be seen on-screen. The dungeon is also the place were the character may find special spells; these drop from the room similar to ecto but disappear much faster.

There are 12 unique dungeon paths, once these have all been played they simply rotate through again.

Hazards

Dungeon Encounters

In the dungeon levels there are several hazards that may reduce the characters life portrait, these include, steam vents, disembodied hands, bats, and bouncing skulls.

Ecto beasts

The ecto beasts are attracted to the ecto that appears after a family member has been chased out of a room by the player. These will pick up the ecto dropped stopping the player from doing so, after which the will attack the player and reduce his ecto meter. At later levels these appear more frequently in the house.

Family dog

The family dog is the only living creature in the game that can detect the player's character in the house. When the dog barks at the character the ecto meter substantially drops, and the fear levels of any family members in the room go down.

Once all the members of the family have left the final house the dog moves to a square vacant room which has no objects the character may possess in it. At this point the dog transforms into a giant version of an Ecto Beast, which the character must defeat to complete the game.

External links

*moby game|id=/haunting-starring-polterguy|name="Haunting"
* [http://www.fantasyanime.com/museum/genesis/haunting.htm "Haunting" screen captures]