“Scare Island” is an action game for kids ages 8-12. As a “prequel” to the movie, this software introduces us to Sully and Mike before they have become “Top Scarers.” We meet them as they enter Monsters Inc.’s training program for new employees on Scare Island.
The player can choose to be Sully, the blue lug of a monster whose heart is as big as his scare, or Mike, Sully’s one-eyed assistant who is better at gab than he is at terrifying children. The training program starts with an orientation session. Here, players learn all they need to know to play the game—how to move, jump, scare, attack, and break through things.
After finishing the orientation, players continue their training by taking on a series of trials in twelve different locations on Scare Island. For each trial, trainees can earn bronze, silver, and gold medals. Medals are won by finding and scaring “Nerves” (robots that are built to resemble children) or by uncovering monster tokens. In order to scare a Nerve, trainees need to find and run over canisters of primordial ooze. The more ooze they collect, the better they scare. As children succeed at these trials, they unlock different “scares” for the monsters to perform and clips from the movie. The scares are a real hoot to watch!
This action game was a BIG hit with kid-testers. The characters stay true to the movie, and therefore their dialogue is clever and they are extremely entertaining. The 3D graphics are good as players roam through the Island. Kids liked the fact that by earning enough medals, they could gain access to special “Monster Enhancements,” which unlock new special areas within the game. It provides a “roaring” good time!
All tech products are judged on a five star scale by looking at the following factors: fun, education, ease of use, value, and technical.
