Rare Halloween beat-em-up, designed as a demo game for Xbox. Charming humorous haunted house atmosphere, original room-by-room gameplay. Short and accessible but Rare charm is present. For Rare fans seeking a light curiosity.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player7+
Description
Cooper arrives at the haunted Ghoulhaven Hall to rescue his friend Amber, captured by the sinister Baron Von Ghoul. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, released in 2003 in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. A Rare exclusive with 65 room-by-room challenges, infectious slapstick humor, hundreds of varied monsters, and a macabre cartoon atmosphere.
Grabbed by the Ghoulies review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Average"
Technical info
💾6,2 GB📅27/01/2005
Published by Microsoft Game Studios
Grabbed by the Ghoulies (Xbox) price, value & rarity
Japan-Asia run of Rare's action game, the studio's first title after its purchase by Microsoft, jointly distributed across Asian markets where the Xbox was little present. The reduced regional distribution makes this version noticeably rarer than the Western editions, for a title already sought as a milestone of the Rare era under Microsoft. Desirability rests on this crossing of a cult studio and a confidential Asian run.
Is Grabbed by the Ghoulies still worth playing in 2026?
An action game from Rare, Grabbed by the Ghoulies sends a young hero to face hordes of monsters in a haunted mansion, using any object within reach in rooms with set objectives. The vivid cartoon art direction, the offbeat humour and the right stick aiming system give the title a singular identity. The repetitive pace and a limited gameplay cap the interest. A goofy action game for fans of cartoon humour and the curious about an atypical Rare.
