Spooky Chase is a pixel-art platformer with a killer chiptune soundtrack. Yes, these sorts of games are like catnip for me. But Spooky Chase isn’t just any old platformer — it offers a really interesting twist on the basic 2D platforming formula.
The level design — a sequence of flat, super-thin platforms littered with flags and candy — reminds me a bit of the long-forgotten Mappy-Land game. However, once you start running, you can’t stop. It’s a little bit like an endless runner, but not exactly, since you can change direction whenever you want.
The goal is to collect a flag that’s somewhere in the level. Once you collect the flag, the run ends and the level resets, only now there’s an enemy that follows whatever path you took to reach the flag. There is another flag to collect now, in a different location, and you must avoid the monster that’s following your previous route. Every time you complete the level, you’re adding another enemy, making the stage progressively more difficult.
Along the way, you can also collect candy, which allows you to unlock costumes. Oh yeah, since this is a game based around Halloween, it’s full of costumes to collect. Seriously, you’ll be unlocking costumes at a super-rapid clip here, and it’s absolutely great.
This is such a fantastic premise for a platformer, since it forces you to rethink the way you approach each level. Instead of just moseying on over to a flag, you have to think about how your movements might actually screw you over in the next round. Instead of jumping around chaotically, you want to make sure your movements are fluid and predictable. That way, you can avoid the enemies that will begin filling out the stage.
I really love Spooky Chase, and it’s super, super cheap. If you’re into Halloween-based games, pixel-art, and creative new takes on retro-style platformers, you owe it to yourself to drop a few bucks on Spooky Chase.
Spooky Chase has been out on Steam since October, but it finally arrived on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on February 25, 2021. You can watch the PS4 launch trailer for Spooky Chase below.
