Haunting Starring Polterguy

PRESS START

An Introduction To Today’s Game

For the first game of the month long Retro October Fest, I decided on a classic, the first Resident Evil. Iconic, and for me, the perfect way to start off the Halloween season.

But as the month goes on, I hope to showcase a few games you may never have heard of and a few that are even brand new to me.

For the second game this month, we are checking out Haunting Starring Polterguy, a 1993 Genesis game I completely missed during the system's original run. I didn't discover it until 2006, when I picked up EA Replay for the PSP and the concept immediately stood out to me as brilliant. 

This offbeat Genesis title flips the script on ghostly games. Instead of busting ghosts, you are one: a rebellious teen spirit named Polterguy out for revenge on one very specific family. 

It remains one of the strangest and unique titles in the Genesis library. So warm up some tater tots, grab your ectoplasm and let’s press start!

BEHIND THE PIXELS

Let’s Dive Into The Game

Polterguy is a rebellious teenager who was killed in an accident with his defective skateboard. The man who manufactured those skateboards is Vito Sardini. After Vito, his wife Flo, and their two brat kids move into a new mansion, Polterguy decides to follow them.

Your goal? Scare the Sardinis out of their extravagant house, one by one, until you’ve given them the fright of their lives.

It’s a revenge tale, but a lighthearted and gleefully goofy one. After all, Polterguy isn’t a murderous spirit. With his flat top haircut, love of pranks and his skateboard, I get some strong Bart Simpson vibes.

As Polterguy, you are invisible to humans. Gameplay revolves around possessing household objects and turning everyday life into a horror show. 

You roam each room looking for items that glow, called Fright’ems, a sign you can possess them. Blue Fright 'ems activate automatically when a family member approaches, orange ones let you manually trigger the scare at the perfect moment, and green ones give you direct control over possessed objects. 

With a tap of a button, Polterguy dives into, say, a chair or a TV, and then the fun begins. Suddenly the chair sprouts monster teeth, or the television oozes green slime. 

There are over 400 fright animations in the game, from simple gags like books flying off a shelf to a toilet turning into a fanged demon. Part of the joy is discovering each silly scare and watching the family’s reaction as you wreak supernatural havoc. Pretty much every object in the house is a potential scare and these animations are 100% the highlight of the game for me. 

Mechanically, it’s all about scare strategy. Each family member wanders the house, and you need to time your hauntings to spook them good. A map of the house helps keep track of the four members. 

Each Sardini has a fear meter that goes from calm to terrified; as you pile on the scares their fear builds. Get it high enough and they’ll scream and bolt to the next room. Chase them through enough rooms and they’ll eventually flee the house entirely. 

It’s a cat-and-mouse game, except you’re the ghostly cat and the humans are the mice. 

So if the humans can’t see you and you can freely haunt any item at will… where’s the challenge of the game? 

You’re powered by ectoplasm, a green goo energy that depletes over time. Think of ecto as your “health” or stamina, it ticks down every second you’re active. Successfully scaring a person out of a room rewards you with ectoplasm refills (left behind as little puddles of ecto-droplets).

The challenge is to haunt efficiently: scare them quickly and grab the ecto they drop to keep going. While the humans can’t see you, the family dog can sense you in rooms. If it barks, you lose more of your ecto.

If your ecto runs out before you’ve cleared the house, Polterguy gets yanked into the Underworld, and this is where the game’s tone briefly shifts from fun to… something else. 

The Underworld is a compulsory mini-game dungeon where you have to collect enough ectoplasm to recharge and escape back to the house. Imagine a dark, creepy cave with eyeballs bouncing around, bats swooping, and pits trying to suck you in, it’s hectic and honestly the least enjoyable part of the game. 

Visually, Haunting embraces a cartoon horror style. The Genesis could only do so much with an isometric perspective, but EA managed to pack in a lot of charm. The Sardini family members have exaggerated reactions, with eyes bulging and knees knocking.

The game does have a two player mode, but it doesn’t really change the experience at all. You have to take turns playing as the ghost. 

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WHERE TO PLAY

• The original copy or emulation will be your best bet for tracking this down.

• If you have a PSP, the game was part of a collection called EA Replay that came out in 2006.

• Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)

  • Loose: $45 

  • Complete: $100

  • New/Sealed: $250

GAME INFORMATION

Cover Art

RETRO NEWS

Here’s a quick roundup of the latest retro gaming news we’ve dug up.

• GBA Gem Scurge: Hive Infects Modern Platforms This Week
  The cult sci-fi action game returns with its eerie isometric Metroid-style gameplay.
  Read more at Time Extension

• Four Classic Arcade Games Headed to Atari Consoles
  Atari adds a nostalgic punch with a new lineup of retro arcade favorites.
  Read more at Retro News

• New Master System Platformer Channels Ice Climber With Sci-Fi Flair
  A free homebrew adventure brings an old-school challenge to Sega’s 8-bit legend.
  Read more at Time Extension

PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS

How do you play your retro games?

• Original systems - 44%

• Emulation on PC - Don’t tell Nintendo - 22%

• 3rd Party devices like Miyoo, Anbernic, or Analogue Pocket — 11%

• Al of the above - 22%

What’s your favorite Playstation era Resident Evil?

• Resident Evil - 40%

• Resident Evil 2 - 40%

• Resident Evil 3 - 20%

• Resident Evil Survivor - 0%

GAME OVER

Why You Should Play This

Simply put, there’s still nothing quite like it. This game delivers a one-of-a-kind concept. Even decades later, very few titles let you be the ghost rather than the ghost-hunter. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, and it invites you not to, either. 

The 400 animations are amazing and well crafted. A lot of love and care went into them and those alone are worth experiencing.

Admittedly, Haunting can be rough around the edges. The isometric controls take a few minutes to get used to, and those mandatory Underworld interludes can test your patience. Again, I think the concept is brilliant, but maybe just not executed in the best way. 

The gameplay, while a bit repetitive in the long run, is easy to pick up and immediately entertaining as you experiment with new objects to haunt. It’s the perfect “pick up and play on a Halloween evening” kind of retro game.

One of the things I really want to do with this newsletter is shine a spotlight on older games that today's players might have completely missed. My hope? Maybe someone will see a game with an incredible concept, even if the execution wasn't quite perfect, and feel inspired to take that idea and run with it.

Haunting is exactly that kind of game. The core idea is fantastic... it just needs some love and polish in a few areas to truly become something special.

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