Monster Force (video game)

Monster Force is a video game released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. It was developed by Digital Eclipse Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games. A planned PlayStation version of the game was to be released in 2001 by Konami, but this never achieved fruition.

Plot
Scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his younger brother Dr. Percy Frankenstein have been chased out of their hometown by an angry mob after their creations Frank, Drac, and Wolfie scared them. This results in the scientists and their creations living in a place called Monsterland. One night, the three monsters decide to hang out as Victor Frankenstein works on a creation that he hopes will enable him to return to his home and regain the villagers' trust. Unfortunately, he mysteriously disappears before he finishes it. The monsters find their creator missing and go on to search for him. On their quest, they meet two new monsters named Mina and Drew. The two have been depowered and stay at Victor Frankenstein's lab. Eventually, they find out that Percy Frankenstein was behind the disappearance of his brother Victor the whole time. He then unleashes his creation Sergeant Smash to destroy the monsters. After defeating Sergeant Smash, Percy is squashed flat by his own creation and Victor is saved. He then gives Mina and Drew their powers back and the two live with Victor, Frank, Drac, and Wolfie.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to the game Gauntlet. Gameplay is depicted from a top-down perspective and players fire projectiles at enemies. Players can collect atoms to purchase power-ups and healing items between levels. Every level consists of two levels set in a specific setting usually appropriate with horror films (e.g., a cemetery, a laboratory). After completing those levels, the player must complete a trial level, where they must achieve a certain objective. Failure to complete the trial levels results in having to fight a boss.

Playable characters

 * Drac - A male vampire, default character.
 * Frank - Based on Frankenstein's monster, default character.
 * Wolfie - A male werewolf, default character.
 * Mina - A female mummy, unlocked by completing the game.
 * Drew - A female vampire, unlocked by completing the game with a gold medal on each level.

Bosses

 * Shadow Creature- A recurring boss that appears in many varieties. The first version and the Desert Shadow version return in a boss rush near the end of the game.
 * Pumpkin Boss- Two large pumpkins that break into smaller pumpkins when hit. Returns near the end of the game.
 * Dragon Boss- Modeled after a Chinese dragon. It will circle around the player and break apart when it is hit.
 * Sergeant Smash- A giant pumpkin created by Dr. Percy Frankenstein that serves as the game's final boss.

Multiplayer
If hooked up to another Game Boy Advance, two players can fight each other.

Reception
The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Nintendo Power gave the game an average review, over three months before its U.S. release date.