Scooby Doo Unmasked – GC – Review

Scooby Dooby Doo, where are
you? Well, he’s currently starring in this new game from THQ, where he’s top
dog.

Fred, Velma,
Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have just arrived at the Monstrous Fright &
Magic special effects company, to hook up with Fred’s cousin Jed.
Mysteriously, though, Jed is missing, as is the company’s secret formula
Mubber, an incredible substance that creates realistic monster costumes. The
company believes that Jed has stolen the Mubber formula, and it’s up to Scooby
and friends to solve the mystery and clear Jed’s name.

At first, not much of the
story line is revealed; we only know that Jed is missing.  Immediately players
are thrown into the action, which begins as a sort of tutorial where basic
game controls and actions are introduced. Scooby Doo is sent on a mission to
scout out clues that are scattered around the levels.  Every time Scooby finds
a clue, he must take it to Velma for her to analyze. Along with searching for
clues, Scooby will collect Scooby snacks, mubber power-ups, recipe ingredients
and costume coins.

Scooby Snacks serve as
health and life power-ups, and garner a special medal for Scooby for every 100
found. They also help to point the way to different areas in the levels.
Mubber is used to create special costumes in the costume machines, and is
found by destroying enemies and boxes. Shaggy has a special mobile kitchen,
that Scooby can visit any time.  If he has the right recipe ingredients,
Shaggy will give him a medal for every completed recipe. The costume coins are
used to unlock the costume machines, which can then be used with the mubber
that Scooby has collected.

This game is a
combination mystery adventure and platform game, with most of the gaming
emphasis on platform levels. Scooby can jump, body slam, spin-attack, slide
and go paw-over-paw on monkey bars. The game is moved along by animated
cut-scenes which are beautifully rendered cel animations which are played as
the game progresses.  These cartoons explain more of the unfolding mystery of
Jed and the missing mubber. The characters and localities evoke the show’s
style nicely, in terms of the general look and appearance, and also captures
the humor of the show.

The bulk of the game is
spent moving along from level to level via standard platforms. These platforms
are easy to maneuver across for the most part; Scooby can make all his jumps.
Enemies can be dispatched in numerous ways, but for the most part, the
spinning attack is sufficient.  However, the more fancy Scooby Doo’s attacks
are, the better strength mubber he can collect. The enemies are easy to
handle, and even the bosses don’t present much of a problem, which is good in
a kid’s game.

The costumes help break
up the platforming a bit, with some pretty cool costumes like a kung fu
costume and also a batman outfit. However, players don’t really get to play in
these get-ups for very long at a time.

The camera design is a
bit odd, as there are some areas that won’t let players adjust the viewpoint
at all.  There is even an icon that shows up to let players know this is an
area where Scooby can’t see around the corners. It’s just annoying to me when
I can’t adjust the camera to see where I’m going.

The game is easy to play,
and the kids won’t have too difficult a time with it.  At times it’s a bit too
easy, though, as every new area or puzzle is obvious. Older kids and adults
will breeze through this game in a short amount of time. The game-play is fun
enough, but not all that exciting.  The mystery aspect is the best part, and I
wish that it would have been a stronger part of the game. To be fair, though,
Scooby Doo Mystery Mayhem was wholly a mystery, and it was not a very
good game at all. A2M decided to add a platforming element in Unmasked,
which works adequately, but could have been more fun.

For fans of Scooby Doo,
though, the game looks wonderful.  The animation is superb, and the story line
is well crafted. The voice acting is great, with professional actors from the
recent cartoon series, and the game also features Adam West from the original
Batman TV show. No matter how neat a game looks, however, the game-play has to
be solid, and it’s just not all that fun to play, especially in the segments
where Scooby has to jump up and up and up from one bouncing trampoline to
another.

This is the best
Scooby Doo game yet, and as such, deserves a look from fans of the show.
Kids will enjoy it, but probably won’t play it again after finishing the first
time, which may not take very long. Best for fans and younger players.

Review Scoring Details for Scooby Doo Unmasked

Gameplay: 7
While the mystery
aspect is pretty cool, the platforming is mundane. As this is the bulk of the
game, it defines the game.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are
quite nice and really capture the show’s essential atmosphere and style.

Sound: 8
Great music and
sound effects, especially the voice-acting.

Difficulty: Easy
It’s a little too
easy for most players, except for young kids.

Concept: 6
There’s nothing
new here, but the execution is adequate.

Overall: 7
A decent game
that is absolutely faithful to the TV show, but one that could have been
better with more interesting puzzles and gameplay elements.  However, it’s
easily the best Scooby Doo game produced yet.