The Addams Family

The Good
It is obvious that this game is mainly a cash crab following the release of the Addams Family movie. Although these types of games have a tendency to be below average, fun can still be had with this game. Though, I do have to admit that this game has some nostalgic value to me since I am a big fan of the Addams Family.

Story: The player controls Gomez Addams on his quest to find his family and save his estate from the family lawyer. It's a descent plot and it's fun to see the Addams in danger since other people usually perceive them as a threat. The goal is to find all of the Addams and acquire a sum of 1 million dollars. It's good to see that the money bags in-game have a meaning other than being points.

Gamplay: Though flawed, the game is still quite playable. It's a simple platformer and the thing that makes it different from other platformers(not all of them) is that there is no "Level 1" or "Level 2". Basically, Gomez has the entire Addams estate to explore, find items, rescue family members, discover treasure etc. The areas the player can explore are varied, enjoyable and memorable, not to mention fun to explore since the Addams house has always been an enigma to us common folk. When Thing(the severed hand) is rescued, he can aid Gomez three times by making him immune to damage for a brief period of time which is very handy(pun intended).

Graphics: Good looking and perfect for Halloween. There is a good variety of enemies and obstacles. There are some minor things that make me enjoy the game more like certain portraits follow you as you go through the room. Gomez has a permanent smile on his face which I find hilarious because he kind of looks like a molester.

Sound and Music: The music tracks are descent. That's probably the only good thing a have to say about the audio department of the game.

The Bad
The cons of the game make me feel like the game was rushed which is the case with many of these movie-related titles.

Story: What I don't understand is why are the other residents of the Addams mansion trying to kill Gomez? From what I remember, the ghouls and ghosts that live on the estate have a good relationship with the family.

Gameplay: The game feels stiff and that is not good especially if it's a platformer. Some of the collision decisions are questionable since some platforms can hurt Gomez if he doesn't jump on them perfectly. The same can be said about trying to dispose of an enemy by jumping on its head. There are some very unfair situations in the game like having bricks knock the player of the roof and back to the mansion entrance. There is no indication which brick can fall and they are really tough to dodge without taking baby steps through the entire roof while birds are throwing rocks at the player's position. This is where Thing can help the most but it feels that the ability to have him as means of help was thrown in the last minute during development to make the roof segment not as nerve breaking. Gomez has a lifebar but it's useless most of the time. In most games where the player has a lifebar, after taking a hit from an enemy the player has a brief period of invulnerability(usually indicated by blinking). But here a single enemy can drain the entire life bar in a second if the player is nor careful. There are a few glitches as well. I've managed to jump through some of the walls in order to escape some of the obstacles.

Graphics: Not much to complain here, though I do wish that some of the enemies had more than two frames of animation.

Sound and Music: The few music tracks that the game has get repetitive quickly. The Addams Family theme song plays during most of the game and though I like it, the game makes me hate it. If you want to have the main theme stuck in your head just play the game. You can even pass it to other people too. While I was playing the game, I could hear my flatmate(who was in the other room) humming the Addams Family theme and it stayed in our heads for a couple of days. Sound effects seem to be missing for many things and events in the game and the few that are there are repeated for everything. I can count the sound effects on my fingers. I am serious.

The Bottom Line
If you are a fan of the Addams Family you might enjoy this game. Though be warned, you'll be frustrated as well. The collision and sound is what stop this game from being great but it's still playable and has some charm to it. If you find it cheap pick it up. Just play it on mute and preferably put on some music of your own.