Overview – developed by CosmiKaneki in collaboration with shady corner and published by Eastasiasoft, Boo Party is a top down adventure set in a pixelated world of sexy monster girls. As a fearless photographer, you are tasked with capturing photos of the paranormal ladies that reside in an abandoned mansion. This title is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, with a link to the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Boo Party that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Mature Content Advisory: Boo Party has been rated as Mature and intended for Adults, this is due to the inclusion of strong language, sexual content, sexual situations and nudity. If you are under the recommended age rating for this title, or if you are uncomfortable with the content listed, please proceed at your own discretion.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the story.
Story – deep in a creepy forest lies an abandoned mansion, which has had many sightings of the paranormal. An oddball scientist has hired you, a freelance photographer to explore the site and capture evidence of the supernatural. Specifically, she wants you to get photographic proof of the ghosts and monsters that have been reported there. But what you discover inside the mansion is wilder than you would ever imagine.
Gameplay – boo party is a top down pixel art adventure, where the player has to explore the mansion, interact with the residents of the mansion and completed requests for them. When starting the game off, the player will only be able to explore a small area of the mansion, learning how to navigate the different rooms and areas. As the player progresses through the game, more areas will open up for the player to explore.
When the player encounters one of the spooky ladies at the party, they will make a request in exchange for a photo. These can include getting a hamburger for a vampire, stone statues for a gorgon and helping a witch with her magic demonstration. These quests can be completed by the player at their own pace, with most requests intersecting with others, leading to the player interacting with other ladies and even side characters.
When wandering the halls of the mansion, the player can talk to most of the party guests, getting information and items from them to complete quests. When the player completes a ladies request, the player will be to snap a photo of them and add it to their album. The player can speak to the scientist Lesbrock when a photo is obtained, receiving spirit points for each image captured, which can be used to buy items and open up new areas.
Alongside the exploration and item collection for requests are the mini games, which are tied to some of the quests that the player has been given. These mini-games are loving homages to the classics, including the games Toobin and Space channel 5. All of these mini games are unlocked during the different stages of quests, often needed to snap photos. When all of the photos are gathered, the player can proceed to the finale of Boo Party.
The last thing to mention for this release is the extra content that can be unlocked. After clearing the game, the player will be able to play a special time attack to beat the game again as quick as possible. There is also a gallery for the player to view photos that they have collected on the title menu, as well as the option to play a special version of one of the mini-games. These additional bonuses provide some replay value for the player after completion.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this title, starting with the controls.
Controls – the controls are reminiscent of older adventure titles, with simple to use inputs for movement, menu navigation and interacting with the characters. Wandering around the mansion is pleasant, as the movement is smooth and the interactions with characters are responsive. There are a few minor flaws when playing the mini-games, but these can be adapted to very quickly and don’t affect the experience too much.
Difficulty – as an adventure title, there isn’t much in terms of difficulty, as the player is able to freely explore the mansion and work through the different missions in the game. If the player does get lost or confused, they can speak to a haunted painting, who provides clues and reminders of quests. There is some difficulty when it comes to the mini-games, as they are a significant departure from the rest of the game. However, there is a system that will let players skip these if they wish.
Presentation – Boo Party has a distinct visual appeal to it, with sprite work that looks like it was pulled straight from the 1990’s, which is quite pleasing to the eye. The artwork that is used for the girls has a cute visual appeal to it, with art that very pleasing to the eye. But if you aren’t a fan of nudity, then there is an option to censor the mature images or disable them entirely, making the game safer to play around others.
The soundtrack for this game is another masterpiece from the composer OSC, with a soundtrack that is funky, fresh and retro all at the same time. The music is the perfect complement to the tone and atmosphere of the overall game, with the different music tracks each having their own distinct flavour to them. There is also a little bit of voice work, which isn’t featured a lot in the game, but is a nice touch where used.
Final Thoughts – I had previously played the title Crawlco Block Knockers from CosmiKaneki, which I enjoyed greatly and when I saw Eastasiasoft announce this I was excited to get my hands on it. Suffice to say, I had a fantastic time getting hands on with Boo Party, as the narrative, characters and gameplay were fun and had a nostalgic charm. The mix of adventure, hidden object search and mini games did not get tiring and I finished my first play through in one session.
I have no issue whatsoever recommending Boo Party to those who are looking for a fun and charming puzzle adventure. There is so much crammed into this experience, it would take me ten thousand words just to cover them all. The references to pop culture, classic games and more as easter eggs for fans was a great touch, with my favourite being the references to a certain TV show about two brothers that hunt monsters.
In the end, I give Boo Party a final score of 5/5. This is one of the best adventure titles that I have played in a while, featuring a gameplay loop that doesn’t become repetitive, an art style and characters that feel unique, hidden details and references galore, and the boobs and butts are a bonus. If you want to check this title out for yourself (and you are of the appropriate age), a link to the game is below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
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