Monster Bash

Growing up, I was drawn to macabre tales of horror, and my imagination ran wild to think of ghosts and ghouls prowling the night.  The fact that I was afraid of the dark did little to dissuade this pursuit.  I was only afraid of the dark, because I knew what dwelled there...

That history doubtless set the stage for an imagination that was all too ready to leap upon the classical macabre stylings of games like Hugo's House of Horrors and, a personal platforming favorite, Monster Bash.

Monster Bash was released by Apogee in 1993.  Apogee, one of the early pioneers shareware gaming, had a string of excellent platform games in the 90s.  Most people immediately recognize the name Duke Nukem, which continued into the 3D era, and many remember with fondness Commander Keen, but there was more to the Apogee story, and some titles that never resulted in a franchise have sadly fallen into the void, which is a shame.  Among these is Monster Bash, a tale of a young, pajama-clad, sling-shot wielding Johnny Dash who, on a dark and stormy night, uncovers a plot by villainous vampire Count Chuck to steel the dogs and cats of the world and transform them into monsters.  Johnny sets out to free his own kidnapped pooch and the other stolen dogs and cats of the world, and his quest takes him running through zombie-filled graveyards, twisted sawmills, haunted houses and bizarre laboratories.

The gameplay was solid.  Each level had a largely open environment, with Johnny hunting down the location of the cages dogs and cats.  Once they were all set free, one could move on to the next.  Controls were tight, and the music was exciting.  I always felt that Johnny Dash would have made a fitting cousin for Billy Blaze of Commander Keen fame, and was disappointed that the game didn't produce more titles.

The real standout aspect of the game is the presentation.  The graphics are beautiful for their time, a mix of bright, colorful locations melded with what are probably some of the goriest elements you'll ever find in what is otherwise a kid-friendly platformer.  Bloody spears, some covered in unidentifiable entrails, jut out of the ground.  Zombies explode into bloody chunks upon death, and sometimes their heads will continue to roll along the ground and attack the player until squashed.  It's all in good fun and contrasts spectacularly with the otherwise kiddish presentation, making it a joyful romp through a nightmarish world.  To any fans of classical PC platform games, I highly recommend it.