Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion

Despite originally being released over 30 years ago as of writing, Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion is a game that I just found out about recently. What drew me to the game was the people behind it with the likes of industry legends John Romero, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, and Tom Hall being responsible for the game! That right away made me want to play this and play it I did! For a PC game released in 1991, it is a fun action shooter that I am glad I took the time to check out.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion is actually a sequel to a game called Dangerous Dave and it stars the same main character, Dave! Dave has to go to a haunted mansion as his brother, Delbert is missing inside the mansion. Of course, this is no “normal” mansion and it is filled with all kinds of creepy creatures that want to kill Dave and stop him from saving his brother.

Could Have Been NES-Tastic!

As far as I am aware, Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion was only released for computers, not consoles which is a real shame as the game has a very NES like look to it. I am sure this would have been able to run on the NES and it probably would be a lot more fondly remembered. The game has a funky pixel art style with characters that are a little on the small side, but they have a lot of personality. The different levels each take you to a different part of the mansion and it all looks pretty good for its time.

Running And Gunning!

Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion is a 2D action game. We control Dave as he runs around the mansion, killing enemies and looking for the next part of the mansion that will take him to the next level. There are lots of enemies in this place (maybe the NES would have struggled with this aspect of the game?) and you have a shotgun that has unlimited ammo. Now, the twist here is that you can fire eight shots and then you need to stop and reload. Dave is vulnerable when he reloads so it adds a bit of strategy to where and when you will reload. This stops you from being too overpowered, but at the same time, it takes away the need to be constantly looking for ammo.

One And Done!

One thing that may make playing all the way through Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion harder than you would think is the save system…. There isn’t one! Even when you die, it puts you back at the start of the previous level. There is also no password system either so if you want to beat this game; it is the kind of game that you have to beat in one sitting!

Pros:

• The guys behind this game went on to do massive things in the industry
• It is a fun old school adventure/shooter game
• I liked the quirky haunted house setting of the game
• The reloading mechanic adds a bit of strategy to the game

Cons:

• Having to beat the game in one sitting can be a drag
• It can be frustrating when you are killed when reloading