The Addams Family Mansion Mayhem has been released to tie in with the imminent release of the new Addams Family animated movie. There’s an awful lot to draw on from the Addams Family from its unique style to its interesting characters so I was interested to see if the devs at PHL Collective could do a good job with this or if it’s another title to add to the film tie in trash can.
Before I begin the review in full I’d like to point out that I know this game isn’t aimed at me and definitely has a younger audience in mind. So that I could give a fair review I got my 7-year-old son involved for some couch-based co-op and I’ve taken his thoughts and opinions into account.
Watch the launch trailer below:
The plot sees you taking control of one of four key characters from the movie as you attempt to explore the hidden secrets of the mansion and to prevent It being bought by a villain who wants to turn it into an escape room/buffet. Also for some unknown reason, you have been shrunk down to tiny size as you make your way across the levels. I asked my boy what the story was and he said he had no idea. Either way, I found the story, as minimal as it is, to have zero bearing on the game itself.
Although there are four characters to choose from they play in exactly the same way so other than appearance it makes no difference who you choose. The levels themselves also play out in a similar way to each other. Your aim is mainly to use your limited skill set to jump over and around obstacles. There is also a very basic combat mechanic and later on, you unlock a spider/grapple hook gadget which mixes things up a little. There is also zero punishment for getting killed other than being sent back to one of the generously placed auto checkpoints.
The ultimate goal of each level is to get to the end and collect a certain number of coins that scatter the level. There are also two other side objectives you can complete per level. Completing these challenges awards you with medallions that you need to open up the later levels. The levels are easy to complete but given the target age of the game, this is fair enough.
Each level felt very much the same as the previous, they all use a very muted colour pallet and if I’m honest they are all too long. This makes them become tedious very quickly and it’s hard to stay enthused. I thought this might just be my age showing but after 90 minutes of play my son asked if we could stop playing and each time I’ve asked him if he wants to play again he says no.
Adding to our lack of enthusiasm was the painfully slow pace of the game, awkward jumping and sheer repetition. This game feels like something that had been released in the early 2000s and even then there were much better titles around. It’s really hard to find anything good here.
To sum up, The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem is a game that’s boring, dull to look at, dull to play and even my 7-year-old doesn’t want to play. The fact that you can play up to 4 players local co-op is a good feature but unless you or your kids are hardcore Addams Family fans I would stay clear of this title.
The Addams Family Mansion Mayhem was reviewed using a digital code provided by the publisher.
Publisher: Outright Games Developer: PHL Collective Release Date: 24th September 2021 Reviewed One: Xbox One Also Available On: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC
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