Replay: Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights

Let's take a trip back to 2002, an era before Heavy Iron Studios became known for SpongeBob: Battle For Bikini Bottom, and look at the first Scooby-Doo game from the sixth console generation. Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights may seem a little unrefined and be a little rough around the edges, but there is plenty of fun to be had in this licensed game.

What Worked

The strongest thing about this game compared to a lot of the other Scooby-Doo games that have come both before and since is its commitment to paying homage to the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. Aside from including a plethora of monsters from that show, the homages include the laugh track and sound effects directly from the show and does a great job recreating the look and feel of the original show.

The open-world nature of the game makes it feel like a Metroidvania to an extent where the player controls Scooby to go various areas of the map, fight or avoid their way through monsters, get power-ups, fight more monsters, and move on through the bosses. Giving the freedom to explore adds to the game in a system where the combat systems are a little lackluster.

What Didn't Work

The negatives mostly come in the form of the gameplay. The game is far too easy, especially once one receives the helmet and the super slam. The platforming doesn't even provide a challenge considering how well Scooby can jump. The health-restoring food is too plentiful to put Scooby in any real peril as well, especially considering that the player can bank up to five health markers. A difficulty option could have alleviated this issue.

The game is also really short, especially when compared to other games at the time. There is some artificial length when it comes to the gates that require Scooby Snacks to open, however, even that does not increase the game above five hours to complete. If one wants to complete the game to 100% and doesn't want to consult a guide, they'll probably have the game completed in under ten hours.

How Much Is This Game Worth?

This is a rough one because the game is very much a product of its time and is relatively short considering the speed run record for the game is around an hour and a half. It is only available on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube and if someone can get it for under $25, it is a worthwhile investment but anything over that (unless one is nostalgic for it) is not worth it.

★★★