CarnEvil
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| CarnEvil | |
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| Developer(s) | Midway Games |
| Publisher(s) | Midway Games |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Light gun |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Midway Seattle hardware |
| CPU | Main CPU: R5000 @ 150 MHz |
| Sound | Sound CPU: ADSP2115 @ 16 MHz Sound Chips: (2x) DMA-driven @ 16 MHz |
| Display | Horizontal 640 x 480 resolution 57 Hz refresh rate 65536 palette colors |
CarnEvil is a rail shooter arcade game using a light gun. Released by Midway Games on October 31 (Halloween), 1998, the game focuses on the protagonist(s) fighting their way through a supernatural carnival that features horror-themed twists on many familiar amusement park elements.
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[edit] Plot
CarnEvil is set in the fictional town of Greely Valley, Iowa, wherein the protagonist (called "Jacob" in the manual) takes a tour through the town cemetery. According to the story's premise, if a golden token is inserted into the mouth of the jester's head on top of the tombstone of "Professor Ludwig von Tökkentäkker", a haunted amusement park will appear after long absence.
Jacob and his friend Lisa investigate this legend, and fulfill the conditions of the premise; whereupon the jester's head comes to life and raises the undead carnival from the ground, all trying to take their brains. During this process, Jacob obtains a shotgun from the shooting gallery at the entrance to fight through hordes of monsters, zombies, and insects.
Jacob faces enemies in the three attractions - the Haunted House, Rickety Town, and Freak Show - and must defeat a strong 'boss character' at the end of each, as well as periodic sub-bosses. After escaping all three areas, he enters the Big Top, and fights clowns and circus animals to reach the center ring, whence he is taken to Tökkentäkker's zeppelin to face Tökkentäkker and his jester Umlaut. Tökkentäkker is defeated when the player strikes him into the zeppelin's propellers, causing both to collapse. Thereafter Jacob wakes in the cemetery, which has returned to normal. Seeing the token emerge from Tökkentäkker's tombstone, he re-inserts it while Lisa orders him not to do so.
[edit] Gameplay
CarnEvil consists of four levels, each ending with a boss fight. The first three levels can be played in any order, but the fourth cannot be accessed until all three are cleared. The players shoot enemies on the screen while progressing through amusement-park-themed horror environments. The gameplay is considerably violent and features bloody scenes throughout.
Occasionally, a girl (Lisa) will appear as an innocent. Shooting her earns a life penalty, but does not garner any long-term consequences or changes to the game.
Health and weapon power-ups can be found throughout the game. Weapons available include a machine gun, shotgun, flamethrower, acid bath gun, and an increase in the gun's magazine capacity. They can be obtained by shooting floating icons, such as a shotgun shell or a barrel of acid, and cannot be reloaded. Grabbing these power-ups also provides bonus points to the player.
A software setting allows operators to replace Junior, a giant deformed baby, with a demonic teddy bear named Deaddy as the boss of the Freak Show level.
[edit] Stages
Haunted House- A Victorian-style mansion surrounded by a graveyard and designed as a dark ride. The player enters through the foyer and moves through the den, hallways, and kitchen before ascending to the second floor and onto the roof. Here, one of the ride's cars knocks the player into the graveyard for the boss fight.
Rickety Town- A traditional carnival setting that contains rides, game stalls, and a food court. The most prominent ride is the Christmas-themed "Slay Ride" roller coaster, which starts and ends the stage and delivers the player to the boss fight.
Freak Show- An exhibition of the bizarre and astounding. The player begins in the sideshow area, then proceeds through a museum of oddities and a monkey house before entering a Tower of London-themed Chamber of Horrors. A grisly assembly line underneath the Chamber allows the player to reach a giant playpen for the boss fight.
Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's Big Top- An immense circus tent that serves as the main attraction of CarnEvil. The player enters the tent and fights toward the center ring, using a cannon, trapeze, and tightrope to reach it. Once here, the player is taken to Tökkentäkker's zeppelin for the final battle.
[edit] Characters
- Player 1 ("Jacob")- Protagonist, who after hearing the story of CarnEvil, enters the local Cemetery to see whether the stories are true. Having activated the antagonists, he seizes a pump-action shotgun from the shooting gallery, intending to win his freedom with it.
- Ludwig von Tökkentäkker- Antagonist. He sports a ringmaster outfit and brown hair, and wears a monocle set with an admission token. Although mentioned frequently, he only appears during the opening scene and as the final boss of the game, using a musket and throwing fireworks.
- Umlaut- Secondary antagonist, known for taunting the player with rhymes and poems during the loading screens, and seen throughout CarnEvil. He becomes a sub-boss before the final battle with Ludwig von Tökkentäkker.
- Lisa- A companion of Jacob's, who appears from time to time during the game. Shooting her reduces the player-character's health points.
[edit] Trivia
- In a nod to the Mortal Kombat series(which was also made by Midway), a midget clown in the Big Top level might say "Get over here, kid!", referring to Mortal Kombat's 'Scorpion' character.
- A pizza in the food court section of Rickety Town has the shape of Pac-Man, which was one of Midway's earlier games.
- The hero of video-game Trog! appears in the Freak Show level of the game as an attraction in the background, frozen in a block of ice and labeled "Frozen In Time!". The dinosaur characters also appear as enemies in the Rickety Town.
- The "Flem the Fly" creatures in the 'Freak Show' level and the enemies in Galaga make the same sound when shot.
- In the 'Big Top' level, a chalkboard turns on its axis to reveal a foolish-looking portrait of Umlaut with the words, "Umlaut is a kiss ass".
- Throughout the Haunted House level, the players can find portraits of Evil Marie throughout her childhood. The first is after the player defeats the mid-boss Hambone, whereafter is a painting of Evil Marie as a child, wearing a bloody dress and holding a stained axe. This is a variation of the painting "The Daughters of Edward Darley", whereof the original painting lacks the blood and axe. The second detail is in the kitchen, where we see a crayon drawing of Evil Marie chopping off a man's head. Later, a wall opens to reveal a secret passageway to the attic, and shows an adult Evil Marie playing a harp.
- One of the clown enemies of the last level is named "Mr. Ozob": apparently Bozo spelled backwards.
[edit] Reception
It is said to be "perhaps the most twisted video game ever" by the LA Weekly.[1]
[edit] CarnEvil original soundtrack
The original score for CarnEvil was composed by Midway's Kevin Quinn.
- CarnEvil Introduction- 1:38
- CarnEvil Superbeast- 0:30
- Select Your Doom- 1:03
- Christmas Wonderland- 1:06
- Big Bunyan Ride!- 1:22
- The Garage (Bumper Cars) - 1:30
- Krampus- 1:31
- Haunted House- 1:07
- Freak Show- 0:52
- The Chamber of Horrors- 1:25
- Junior- 1:24
- Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's Big Top- 1:04
- The Final Ring- 1:04
- The Baron's Airship- 1:17
- Credits- 2:35
[edit] See also
- Blood, known for its dark carnival themed level.
