Monster Party is the story of a young boy named Mark, who, while walking home from a baseball game sees a star so beautiful, it makes his eyes moist (That’s the game’s choice of words, not mine). However, this star is actually a Gargoyle, named Bert, looking for hero to save his planet. He apparently mistakes Mark’s bat as some sort of legendary weapon, and though Mark makes a noble attempt to explain that said bat is not at all special, Bert reassures him that "Bat, batter, anything is fine!," and whisks him away to the unnamed monster planet. Complete insanity is soon to ensue.
The first thing you’re likely to notice about Monster Party is that the screen displaying your current stage is filled to the brim with blood. That’s right, blood. Nowadays, blood in a video game is far from uncommon (quite the opposite, actually), but around the time Monster Party was released, Nintendo was known for removing anything that might be considered offensive or controversial from all games released in the U.S. However, Monster Party somehow managed to evade Nintendo’s censors. The stage screens aren’t the only gory parts of the game, either. After passing the large, cactaur-esque tree about halfway through the first stage, the entire world goes straight to hell. Lightning flashes, and the once smiling, blue happy-face blocks are transformed into skulls, with blood oozing from every orifice. The music changes from a upbeat tune to a haunting, unsettling piece. As a matter of fact, this drastic change is downright scary. I actually have memories of playing this level as a child and being quite disturbed by it!
Monster Party’s Graphics and sounds are nothing too special, though they get the job done. The sprites are generally colorful, though their animation is somewhat lacking, with only a few frames of animation for each, if even that many. However, what’s somewhat surprising is that each and every level has it’s own individual enemies & bosses. That’s right: No palette swaps or repeated enemies here! It really helps to give each level its own individual feel.
As far as music goes, it doesn’t really stand out, besides the 1st level music that I previously mentioned. Most level themes are only a few notes long, with said notes being looped endlessly. It’s certainly not bad, if unimpressive. However, one level has an endless "wind" sound effect in place of music, and it’s downright painful to listen to. I actually had to mute the game to keep my sanity, something that very rarely happens.
At it’s heart, Monster Party is a basic platform game. One button jumps, while the other swings Mark’s bat to attack his foes. Mark can also find a pill, which allows him to transform into Bert for a short period of time, giving him access to Bert’s flying and eye laser abilities. To clear a level, Mark must find all of the boss doors scattered around each level, defeat each boss, collect the key that each drops, and find the exit. However, it is Monster Party’s presentation that sets it apart from most platformers and gives it it’s own sense of originality.
The enemy and boss design is downright bizarre; Through the course of Mark’s journey, you’ll encounter walking pairs of pants, flaming high school punks, demon umbrellas, a legless punk rocker, a wishing well, and my personal favorite, a giant fried shrimp/onion ring/shish-kebob. You’ll find yourself compelled to keep playing, just to see what insane monster the game throws at you next. It’s not a very difficult or long game (It’s actually one of the few NES games I can beat without cheating), so it’s quite accessible to any gamer.
One of the most interesting things about Monster Party is that it is a Japanese-developed game that only saw release in the U.S. Also, previews of the Japanese version showed a much different game than we got. Many of the monster designs were completely different, and the game had a more frightening tone to it. Hopefully, a prototype will be discovered someday.
Anyone who owns an NES has absolutely no reason to not own Monster Party. Not only is it dirt cheap and common, it embodies the creativity and developmental freedom so lacking in many of today’s games. For this reason, it deserves a spot in every gamer’s collection.
