Monsters, Inc. Scare Island (PS2) - Part 1

Here comes another sixth generation play through that now, and only now, have I decided to play from beginning to end.

Monsters, Inc. Scare Island (or Monsters, Inc. Scream Team) is a movie tie-in to the smash hit Disney-Pixar film of the same name. This computer adaptation of the story is, in actual fact, a prequel to the events of the film as it details the induction of Mike and Sulley at Monsters, Inc. as they complete various training simulations and objectives to be inaugurated as certified scarers.

If you think the premise sounds kind of boring, well, in actuality it kind of is sadly. Monsters, Inc. on Playstation 2 is a truly by the numbers platformer.

Which is a shame given that Scream Island gives the player something of a world tour in destinations, ranging from simple playgrounds, to cityscapes, pyramids and even icy igloos. Yet, despite the variety, Monsters, Inc. does not offer much spice to the design of these maps. The objective of the game is to collect the necessary Primordial Ooze needed to power your fright meter and following this collect the scream from the nerves (robots) darted across each level. On paper its simple enough, but each level does its damnedest to make navigating the various pitfalls and enemies as pestersome as possible.

When you do eventually encounter a nerve, the process of collecting its scream feels akin to a rhythm game as Scare Island throws a series of button prompts at you to complete in-quick succession. There is a feeling of monotony to how this works because there truly is next to no penalty for missing prompts or making any mistakes, and you can almost immediately re-initiate the process if you do happen to fail it completely.

Like in other platforms of its era, there are boss stages thrown into Scare Island, used as a desperate attempt to avoid the experience from stagnating too much. These boss missions always become nothing more than a short competition against series villain: Randal, as you race him to the finish line and unlock further stages and abilities. The unlockable abilities are also used to reach previously unreachable areas, and nerves, as a means of completing the story 100%.

As platformers go, Monsters, Inc. Scare Island is a remarkably easy experience, which perhaps is understandable given the audience it is made for. As a simple distraction from the film itself, this computer game will eat atleast a few hours of your time but it can be completed in little under five hours if you put your back into it.

In terms of presentation, Scare Island is a mixed bag. On Playstation 2, the visuals of Scare Island appear rather plain, with basic menu design, largely static stages and lifeless animation. That said, the soundalikes used to match the voices of Sulley and Mike both are adequate enough as their respective characters, and the soundtrack managed to match the mood of Randy Newman’s score quite comfortably. It comes of a surprise that the production value of this release feels as limited as it does, if only because Disney Interactive Entertainment had a knack for technically solid, cinematic experiences on computer hardware up until this point.

In summary, while I am happy to have given Monsters, Inc. Scare Island the time of day, it is a forgettable experience when contrasted with the film it is based on, or even its sequel Monster University. The most upsetting part of this story is that it fails to live up to the expectations of previous Disney Pixar games: Both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were exciting platforming titles that continue to be remembered fondly to this day. Bug’s Life, even with its problems, is arguably still better than the very film it is based on. Yet Monsters, Inc. Scare Island not only lacks the wow factor that these other experiences offer, but substantively, it is a rudimentary tie-in endmost, and for that reason, I find Scare Island is difficult to recommend.


---------------------------------------­---------------
A LEGAL NOTICE:
---------------------------------------­---------------
Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.