Developer: PHL Collective
Publisher: Outright Games
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PS4
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem – Review
In the long line of Addams Family adaptations and spin-offs, we find ourselves looking at The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem by PHL Collective and Outright Games. It’s the typical 3D platformer meant to be played with smaller kids, which is often the case for games that revolve around cartoons and media aimed at younger audiences. And as such, it will probably appeal best to people in that age range, though adults can have a blast with it too, granted they find the right company to play with.
Story
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem opens on one of the many cutscenes you’ll encounter in this game, composed entirely out of character stills and text. The Addams family is enjoying a rather uneventful dinner at their home when a knock on the door disturbs them, revealing a sleazy broker named Kyle. Kyle came to inform them that the family’s house has been sold to him by the bank, and it will be demolished in order to build a brand new escape room slash buffet restaurant. The family needs to find a way to save their home, and they come up with the bright idea of proving it is a historic landmark. In order to do this, they’ll need to borrow dark powers and travel through the house’s ominous history to discover its secrets.
It’s a simple little setup that doesn’t delve too deep into either plot or characters. That being said, it does tie the various whacky-looking levels together into a somewhat cohesive whole.
Graphics
Based on the latest movie adaptation of the Addams Family, it’s fair to say this game’s visual style won’t appeal to everybody. The caricature quality of the animation doesn’t transition flawlessly to the 3D game world – despite the new cartoon also being computer-animated. It just isn’t the prettiest thing to look at. The level design might be imaginative, but that doesn’t keep everything from looking cheap and plasticky, especially with the occasional visual glitch to add to the ugliness. Ironically, the character portraits that only pop up for the cutscenes might be the prettiest thing in this game.
Sound
If you came to this game hoping to hear the iconic Addams Family theme song, we’ll warn you that you’ll probably be disappointed. It’s sad such an iconic part of the franchise is missing from the game. The soundtrack as a whole isn’t terrible though, as it has a very similar vibe to the aforementioned missing theme with classical and gothic-inspired music. Sadly, the game has no voice acting, and the constant grunts and yelps the characters blurt out when jumping or getting hit is more annoying than pleasant.
Gameplay
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem is a 3D adventure platformer that can be enjoyed solo or in a local co-op story mode with up to four players. While the game is perfectly playable by yourself, a partner is definitely recommended to make it more fun. It also diversifies the gaming experience, since you get to pick one of the Addams family members to play as and they all bring their own special abilities to the gameplay. It also means the mini-games in between levels become competitive instead of only revolving around trying to beat a high score.
The main levels themselves are pretty straightforward, having you dash, jump and bounce your way through various obstacles and enemies to get to the end. Along the way, you collect coins, as well as the more elusive family crests. Those family crests are especially important since there’s only a handful in each level, and collecting them all is what would make you a completionist. Some stuff can be hidden pretty well and requires you to stray off the level’s linear path to find it.
The characters’ special abilities bring some flavor to the gameplay, such as Gomez’s saber allowing you to glide when jumping and make quicker work of enemies. Overall, the game remains an extremely simple and casual experience, since it’s aimed at much younger kids. Each player might have three lives, but if you die, you will simply revive without a penalty at a nearby checkpoint, and the levels aren’t timed. The mini-games always use the same concept of challenging you to collect as many charms as possible, with only small changes across maps. The game does allow you to play all the mini-games freely without having to do the story mode.
Conclusion
If you know what you’re in for when picking up The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem, you’ll probably have an okay time. Adults or older teens will only get a few laughs out of it, but it does make for a fun family game that controls nicely and doesn’t take too much skill. Those looking for a challenging party game, or something more complex, might be better off skipping this one.
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