The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem game review

GIFTED

EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES OF THE MOST FAMOUS CREEPY MANSION FROM THE UPCOMING ‘THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2’ ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), a leading entertainment company, and Outright Games, the leading worldwide publisher of family-friendly interactive entertainment, working with developer studio PHL Collective, are ghoulishly excited to have launched the very first console game for the CGI version of ‘The Addams Family,’ ‘The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem’. 

Based on the new animated feature films ‘The Addams Family’ and its upcoming sequel ‘The Addams Family 2’ coming this October/November (Germany/Austria), the game is available now for Nintendo Switch™, Playstation®4, Xbox, Stadia and PC.

‘The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem’ will take players on a scare-iffic adventure that’s fun for the whole family! Help Wednesday, Gomez, Morticia and Pugsley save the beloved Addams mansion in this horrifyingly hilarious 3D adventure with shared screen, up to 4-player local co-op. 

Players can test out the different character abilities to navigate the four unique spooky locations. Gomez’s ancient family Mazurka Saber is perfect for slicing and gliding, while Morticia’s fashionable and friendly Spider Sling can shoot webs, grapple, swing and pull objects. Pugsley’s hand-crafted bombs are a blast to roll around on and blow things up and Wednesday’s pet octopus Socrates is ready to blast off and hover using a powerful ink spray. Get ready for family game night to get terrifyingly exciting!

 

“It’s been a terrific experience bringing the Addams Family Mansion and the world’s spookiest family into an all-new 3D platform adventure game,” said Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games. “With 4-player co-op and graphics faithful to the new animated movie franchise, there is something for fans of all ages to enjoy as they discover the mansion's secrets together.”

 

“The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem’ marks the first time ever that we are bringing the CGI version of The Addams Family to gaming console, and is an opportunity for fans of the previous and upcoming CGI films to connect with their favorite characters beyond the movies,” said Robert Marick, Executive Vice President, MGM Global Consumer Products and Experiences. “We are looking forward to seeing fans’ reactions to the brand release from Outright Games.”

 

Debuting in 1938 as a comic strip, the franchises timeless appeal has gone on to inspire TV series, movies, comics, toys and collectables over its 80+ years of frightful popularity, with fans new and old relating to the macabre set of characters that make up the multigenerational family. In 2019, the family returned to terrorise a whole new generation in the animated ‘The Addams Family’, which featured a star-studded cast and achieved tremendous box office success, earning more than $200M worldwide. Wednesday and co will return this October in the hotly anticipated animated sequel ‘The Addams Family 2’.

Gameplay

Mirroring the artistic style of the animated film and providing a nostalgic nod to the original The Addams Family comic strips from the 1930’s, the game immerses players into the spooky world of The Addams Family. 

The game showcases the family trying to deal with a mysterious man called Kyle with a yearning to dabble in black magic wanting to get his hands on the Addams Family mansion. The game is a 1-4 player 3D platformer with the main objective being to get from A to B, collecting coins and hidden treasures along the way such as the family crest.

The game allows players to play as the iconic members of the Addams family - Gomez, Morticia, Puglsey and Wednesday. The kids love playing as the kooky characters and think their special abilities are lots of fun. They think Pugsley’s bombs are a blast and Wednesday’s pet octopus Socrates is really cool. They love that all of the characters can use the powers so if you are playing as Gomez you still get to use Morticia’s Spider Sling power.

As you progress through the mansion of mayhem, opening up new worlds by unlocking portals, gamers are transported to four different themed settings - the mansion’s busy kitchen, the family graveyard, the madness of the musical room and the Wednesday’s lab - all of which have their own levels.  As players progress through the levels they solve puzzles, battle enemies and navigate obstacles such as rotating rigatoni moving around boiling hot bolognese sauce.

The different themed worlds showcase the characters’ unique abilities. Gomez’s swords are utilised in the kitchen, Morticia’s spiders can help you web and swing in the graveyard, in the music room Pugley’s explosives go with a bang and in the lab Wednesday’s octopus works as a ink firing jetpack.

I love the art style and design of the sets which feature good lighting effects and great textures, being especially fond of how the developers have brought to life the characters from the 1930’s comic strips. With that said I do find it a little disappointing that the visuals of the characters can not be appreciated as they should be due to the fact that they are rather small onscreen.

The details in the sets are quirky and fun such as the knives on the Addams Family knives, the books with eyes that can be knocked over to make bridges, scuttling gravestones and the Thing moving on loading screens in between levels. 

Even though the game is a 3D platformer it is also a fun little party game. The game also features various minigames where you can compete against your friends for some addictive Addams Family fun. 

A few of the downsides of the game are that it can be a little repetitive at times, the game does not feature voice work from the cast of the animated film, no online multiplayer, and similar to other platform games the fixed camera causes occasional problems with perfection of depth which can cause a few deaths but thankfully you are revived back close to where you met your maker.

Ideal for younger gamers as a fun introduction to the kooky, macabre and loveable Addams Family, the game is easy to play, features trophies, has cool collectables, quirky enemies to combat, creepy yet cool worlds to explore, and enjoyably competitive mini-games; the game is cheeky, charming and fun!

 

The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem is available now digitally and at retail for Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, Stadia and PC.