Atari 2600's Haunted House: The GRANDDADDY of SURVIVAL HORROR!

[@robertbeckman2054]

I appreciate your content. I’m a 50 year old male who got the privilege of experiencing most of what you talk about. I had at least one friend who had an Atari 2600, one who had a Magnavox II, one with an Intellivision, and one with a ColecoVision. To this day, I’m convinced that the ColecoVision was a gen 3 console with gen 4 capabilities. It had the most realistic arcade ports I’d ever seen at that time. Millennials will never understand that when it came to late 70’s-mid80’s technology, half or more of the fun was the anticipation, and the artwork that gave your brain a picture to replace the stick figure on the screen. Everything is relative. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I appreciate you watching and taking the time to share your recollections! 😁

[@exidy-yt]

As the ColecoVision had an MSX compatible architecture based on a Z80 8-bit CPU it most definately belonged in the 2nd gen, to equate it to 16-bit 4th gen hardware is laughable. That said, it had some great games. Wing War in particular. I grew up lusting for one of these but was stuck with my 2600 until I saved up and got a C64 in 1985.

[@rollicker3139]

Graphics back then really did play on the imagination. Your brain had to fill in the details that weren't there and that gave them a special kind of mystique.

[@warpath6666]

Then came The Nintendo ... I remember saying "Boy, graphics can't get any better than this" 😄🤣😄🤣

[@colossusforbin5484]

I remember upgrading from Atari 2600 (which I got in 1981) to the Colecovision (which I got in 1983). Colecovision really was pretty close to the arcade games. It was a big leap from the Atari 2600. Donkey Kong was great as was Zaxxon. They were horrible on Atari. I never would've thought I'd see the day when computer game graphics would be as good as the illustrations on the Atari box (which were always great), but that day really is here. It was cool watching the advancement of game graphics (and gameplay) over time as they happened.

[@jeffmill]

Making the character just two eyes wide open was just brilliant. 👀

[@GenXGrownUp]

You always seem scared! 👻👀

[@Bikeguychicago1]

Better than a square 😃

[@bw3230]

@@Bikeguychicago1 And you always get to pretend that you are playing as Meatwad from the ATHF when you light a match.

[@stephenthomas1492]

@@bw3230 - I love some ATHF. When I played this game way back in the day, I thought of Pee-Wee Herman when he was walking in the dark.

[@drn13355]

Well they didn't have much choice. We are talking about the early 80s.

[@shawncarter7188]

Some Atari gamss have a sound profile that makes me feel 8 years old again... Haunted House is one of them.

[@jamesswan882]

I used to love examining the box art and imagining how fun the game would be.

[@jamesnoble3502]

That was the thing with the Atari games is the box art usually made the game look and seem a lot more exciting than it really was. A great example was Slot Racers. I loved car racing games as a kid so after looking at the box art and then the actual game itself was like two completely and totally different things

[@karasstig1207]

Literally just had a lengthy discussion at work about “what was the first survival horror game” Haunted House wound up being the unanimously agreed upon winner all things considered. This was so fun to watch! Fantastic game that’s had a soft spot in my heart for many many years and I still remember the day I got it. Thank you Jon!

[@waltjames407]

Ha, I had this game and totally forgot about it until I clicked on this video. Now I remember. I must've been 10 years old, 54 now.

[@SquirrelHill]

Adventure, and Superman, and Haunted House are my 3 favorite Atari 2600 games.

[@timfolly7323]

Haunted House and Adventure were both masterpieces. I had Superman also but I didn’t have that same reaction I did with Adv. and HH. I remember being startled at baddies appearing when playing those as a kid.

[@bw3230]

I'd put Haunted House, Robot Tank and Frostbite as my top three.

[@cowpuddles4851]

Oh man I forgot about Superman! Loved that game.

[@marcellachine5718]

Frostbite, river raid, pitfall.

[@brianmurphy250]

River Raid, Pitfall, Adventure, good times

[@captaincomedian6320]

Extra kudos to the programmer for including the Twilight Zone theme when you escape the house!

[@GisherJohn24]

It is??? Oh my it is!!

[@Androsynth75]

This one is essentially the first survival horror game. It’ll still give you a good jump even now if you crank the volume. Still one of my favorite bite sized horror games.

[@RealityCheckWithJayCooper]

3D Monster Msze probably takes the title, but doesn't take anything away from this game

[@DMachoMickey]

Adventure and Haunted House were two of my all time favorite video games. Years later I ran a Halloween one shot for D&D loosely based on the Haunted House game. My players never knew, lol.

[@ppsayl1235]

Adventure was amazing.

[@turbomario]

Haunted House was the first Atari game i found out about. I was five years old and a teaching assistant of mine told me about an old game where you played as a “pair of eyeballs” walking around coloured rooms. I didn’t end up playing it until i was 9/10 years old and got into emulation, but it holds a special place in my heart

[@halifirien]

Played it all the time as a kid and I still play it from time to time.

[@joeg4707]

This is a masterpiece. I played this so much as a kid, although it's not something I have gone back to; still, I recognize the achievement it is and the influence Haunted House had on the industry. It's a classic. I still have my original boxed copy and remember the store where I got it.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

This is one of those great games that so many kids just never learned to play because so many kids never read the manuals. ET also falls into that category and it's not as bad as everyone claims. I can name several other games in this category too. Come to think of it, I think that most modern players who are new to Atari games would probably look at this game, scratch their heads, and never give this great game a chance. It's a classic! Back then, reading the manual for a lot of games was a must, but a lot of people who were young kids back then never read them, and most people who are young now, just starting to experience these games probably don't even know that there are manuals that have to be read. Most modern games don't even HAVE manuals anymore.

[@hypno_bunny]

Agreed. I don't know how many times I have got into an argument over E.T. when someone would say it's the "worst game ever". My first question was to ask them if they had ever even played it. Some were honest and said no. So I'd ask how can they judge, if they never even played it. They're just hopping on the bandwagon of hate with no actual experience. Some would lie and say they had, when I could expose that they lied very quickly. Some would say they had played it but don't remember it all too well. so I'd ask "Then how can you say it's the worst if you can't even remember it." And most would just say it was "Impossible to play" or "Too hard" or "You can't get out of the pits once you fall in." And to those guys, I just told them they sucked as a gamer because I could beat the game at 4 years old and I'm a girl (and it's also true). That usually shut them up. Unless they didn't believe I could beat it. Then I'd usually take them back to my house and I would play it and prove I could STILL beat it (that muscle memory for getting out of the pits never goes away...LOL). But my winning argument was always..."Name another ATARI game that has a start screen, a soundtrack and an actual ending!!!! Not just a high score." There are a few, but most of the ignorant bandwagon jumpers were posers anyways and could barely even name another Atari game. But yeah, Haunted House and E.T. are 2 of my all time favorite Atari games. Top 10 definitely!

[@ptorq]

@@hypno_bunny To me, the statement "you can't get out of the pits" is an indication that someone DID play the game and isn't lying about having done so. Levitating took a lot of mojo, and if you were trying to conserve that and let off on the button a little too early you'd fall again. Also, the odds of getting out of the pit and then immediately falling in again were considerably higher than zero. It wasn't the worst game ever, but I usually lost patience about the fourth time I fell back into the pit I'd just gotten out of and turned off the game in disgust. I'd put it in the top ten "Most Disappointing" games, because the concept sounded fun but the execution was mostly just frustrating. Raiders of the Lost Ark is also high on that list for the same reason (but probably higher ranked because Raiders was a better movie in the first place), but #1 would have to be Pac-Man (because, well, ).

[@PeranMe]

The sound of lighting a match totally blew my dad and me away, only rivalled by the huge fart sound when you get killed in Space Invaders. I love Haunted House. No other game on the 2600 had as much tension and ambience as Haunted House, in my opinion. The only real downside is that yes, you do need to read the manual! Still, absolutely worth the effort!

[@mattnardoni5695]

Thank you for reviewing this game, like many others, it brings back some great memories! Box art is really good too!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@PackRipperJohnni]

This game was so scary when I first got it as a kid

[@deanster300]

as a horror writer as an adult, I remember as a kid getting inspired by playing this in a dark room as a child, with darkness mode on the game, my imagination fully a part of the game, with jump scares, excitement for finding a way through the locked doors and finding pieces of the earn. it really is a complex puzzle on the higher level of difficulties of locked rooms where your memory has to come into full force.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I say going up/down stairs and getting hit by a monster is not quite as scary as changing screens in Adventure and being attacked by a dragon. You have a split second to react and try to avoid being eaten, while in H.H. you just lose a life.

[@NeitherSparky]

You’re supposed to spin your eyes while the victory song plays, lol

[@rikk319]

Hey, I used to do that too, as fast as I could spin them.

[@McOuchies]

I'd often shift the eyes left and right to the tune.

[@stuffthings1417]

exactly. it's a thing few know.

[@noahhenson1669]

Love it! My neighbors had an Atari (we had Intellivision), so after playing this at their place, I always wanted to own this crazy, fun-as-heck game/ Thanks for taking us back.

[@ravensmadhouse75]

Being a Halloween Fanatic, this was one of my all time 2600 games. Just the two eyes as the character you play is was awesome enough, while having "Thriller" blasting in the background, looking for the URN pieces.

[@discostu9654]

Never truly grasped the concept of this game until I just watched you play it. My friend & I always gravitated to Asteroids, Adventure, Centipede etc. He got this game as a gift and we didn't get it back then (didn't read the manual) so we never played it. I'll definitely revisit it now. If you ever get a chance, take a look at Intellivision AD& D Cloudy Mountain. There's definitely Adventure and HH similarities.

[@typedeaf]

Game really had a vide. As a little kid, it really spooked me. What I find funny is that these games for kids that probably can barely read, but never would, came with instruction manuals and stories. LOL I never read any of them. I only just now realized that this is just 'Adventure' with minor changes.

[@NightBazaar]

When you win, you're rewarded with the theme tune from... The Twilight Zone!

[@bw3230]

Its Public Domain. They could have used that or Oh! Susanna...

[@metamorphicblood]

@@bw3230 “Oh! Susanna” is in Kangaroo, haha.

[@Alpha5119]

Excellent game. After watching the video I immediately went to play the game . And I played all 9 levels and finished them all for the first time. I played this game many times before but I learned something new. I did not know about stairs going up or down . I thought they were the same. It made it so much easier knowing which staircase was up and down. Awesome video . Thanks

[@selalewow]

I used to bring each piece of the urn to the front door as I found them. I remember this and Adventure as 2 favorites of mine. We got an Atari 2600 for Christmas and I got tis game for my birthday.

[@chrisser2088]

The sounds of this game just unlocked memories for me. I LOVED this game

[@bryanmatyas8620]

I'm 50 now but I had this game as a kid. Loved it 😊

[@bernardopaul7861]

It's great that you did this since this game is on the 10-in-1 cartridge that comes bundled with the 2600+, and the modern instruction brochure is abysmal. So , a big THANK YOU from this 2600+ owner ! Now I can enjoy the game

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hey, added bonus! Please let me know how it goes. 😁

[@martinbay7006]

I was 13, when I get this game and it really scared me sometimes. Not in the daylight or when friends around me. But in the evening it reallly was haunting me. The horror itself wasn't on the screen, it was in my head. You only ever saw the monsters at the last moment and then you heard the storm, which is probably always a cliché around haunted houses. But I still think that Haunted House was able to generate thrills despite the limited hardware. At least for me as a teenager! And the maps of the house in the instruction manual show an error. On of the closed door was set wrong, at least in the German version.

[@KristianWontroba]

This is certainly an underrated Atari 2600 game! One of my favorites! Great review Jon! 😊

[@faville]

I had this game on my 2600 and loved it. Thanks for the memory recall.

[@GenXGrownUp]

You're welcome! I loved it too!

[@keithfrederick1973]

It's one of my favorite games! I ordered the limited edition Haunted House t-shirt from Atari for Halloween 🎃

[@dividendz]

Blast from the past! My sisters and I played this all the time when we were kids and loved it! Totally forgot about it.

[@yippie6862]

I haven't seen this game in ages. My mom bought me this game. Brings back good memories!

[@stephenmcgraw8871]

We had this game--I had forgotten about this one until I saw the room layout and heard the "walking" noise...It reminds me that we played the game so much that we could do almost the whole mansion in the dark....We also had "Adventure",which this game was so close in genre.....

[@vashstampede5933]

The grandaddy of the jump scare horror video game genre! I remember fondly playing this at night with the lights out and it scaring the crap out of me when I ran thru a door to find a bat, tarantula or ghost! Good times! 😅👍 Thanks for highlighting this great old Atari 2600 game Jon!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Same here!

[@songsan807]

I remembered this game as a kid. There was this girl that lived downstairs from the apartment that would invite me over and play this game while sitting next to me. I didn't understand the game but didn't care because she was very pretty.

[@salsatariandretroworld396]

My favorite Atari 2600 game. I only beat the first two modes but never got past modes 3-9

[@Cafeman_2D]

5:33 agreed, the sounds are indeed wonderful.

[@jonathanross149]

One of my family's original 1st Christmas games: Combat, Adventure, Pitfall, Atlantis and Haunted House.

[@jasonrackawack9369]

There is a great book called "The Art of Atari" by Tim Lapetino......it goes into great detail with the original Atari box art comercial artists about how they were tasked with selling a simple looking computer game by getting people to use their imagination through the use of the packaging art and design. Haunted House is in it. The book has most of the popular games and covers everything from the rough concept sketches and alternate ideas. It is worth checking it out

[@GenXGrownUp]

Have that coffee table book and love it.

[@UncleTermite]

It’s how Sega overtook Nintendo with the Genesis box art as well , Super Nintendo was forced to come out much faster they over took the market again eventually but Sega took a big chunk of the video game players . Sega had the best art and box design to this day it really stood out .

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

We did not have the Atari gaming console when I was in my youth; ours was the Coleco Gemini which, of course, took most if not all of the Atari cartridges. Haunted house was one of the games that we had. If memory serves, I don’t think my older siblings and I even knew there was a manual for it. I think that we just popped it in the slot, powered up the system and goofed around with it. It is Sunday, October 13, 2024, and I was today years old when I learned there even was an objective to the game.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

One of the things that always impressed me with the Atari 2600 is that they usually spent so much effort adding variations to each game. Combat, and Space War had so many options that it felt endlessly fun.

[@sydhamelin1265]

I watched this on Halloween, what a great revisit to a game I loved as a kid. This was easily one of my favorite Atari games, along with Adventure.

[@raggedgray2068]

Great video and excellent summary of what is an absolute horror classic. I loved HH as a kid, really great for its time

[@GenXGrownUp]

Glad you enjoyed it. 😁

[@erickent3557]

Yes, I was one of those kids trying out the game, no manual, quizzically shaking my head... All these years later with the 2600+ I read a manual online, and hey! It's a great game!

[@jayme69]

Stone cold Halloween classic! Great playthrough Jon :-)

[@cowpuddles4851]

Loved this game as a kid but just never knew what to do. Thanks for reviewing it!

[@satan3959]

I don't know about Survival Horror, but I certainly see some subtle Lovecraftian elements in the game. I never grew up with a 2600, since I've been mostly a computer guy for most of my life, I'm Gen X myself, albeit near the tail end (born in 75), but started on an old TRS-80 in 1981. But I did play a lot of Atari games at my friend's house, and this was one of them.

[@sithcritic8906]

Always learn something new from your videos. Never noticed the stair direction before.

[@spiderfan1974]

To be fair every atari game you needed to read the manual or you were not finishing it. Most Atari games were as clear as mud without the manual.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Oh, I don't know. A great many players admit to seldom reading the manual and still having hours of fun. It's the games that took big swings and tried something not-so obvious (E.T., Haunted House, etc.) which required the manual because there simply was no way efficient to communicate the goals in-game at that time.

[@ButterSpider3]

I never read the manual beyond the game select matrix on the back page. I don’t even know what happened to the books that came with all my carts. Very few titles were not understandable after a little gameplay.

[@rikk319]

Yar's Revenge was one of those.

[@sebastianponce9658]

Wow! I used to love this game! Thanks for bringing back such a great memory!❤

[@DavidWonn]

This was one of my first 11 games I had on the 2600. One of my self-imposed limits later on would be to consider a game lost if I exceeded the use of a certain number of candles. And despite being labeled as a 1-player game, it was fun to trade turns with someone else to see who would win with the least number of lives lost, breaking ties at the number of candles used. And I remember drawing my own "maps" for where the locked doors and stairs were on higher game variations, as the manual only accounted for most of the middle variations.

[@Elzorrogris74]

This and Raiders of the Lost Ark were my 2 favorite Atari games. The Activision Atari games (pitfall, chopper command, river raid, enduro) were a close second.

[@vinnykster]

Haunted House and Adventure are 2 of my faves to play on Atari 2600. Both are inventive and ahead of their time

[@Madda640]

Yeh nice. Simple and classic Atari fun. Thanks Jon - I'm going to grab a shirt for Xmas!

[@ToadieBog]

HOLY CRAP. I completely forgot this game existed! Thanks for bringing back this great memory.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Glad I could help refresh your memory.

[@Dippydoo21]

Some innovative features for it's time: lighting a match to see your surroundings was similar to things you would see in Castlevania many years later

[@UltimaHolyFlare]

This is one of my all-time favorites, especially when played in the dark and on black & white mode.

[@A.E.Konietzky]

This is the game that made me love Survival Horror games and it was my first Horror game ever.

[@paulaburrows8660]

I've always loved the art work on the box

[@hiker64]

Back then, games were just as engaging and intriguing as modern gorgeous immersive games are today. We just had to use our imaginations to augment the storyline. Of course it's hard to look back at games like this with today's eyes and consider them fun after having played World of Warcraft or many of the other very beautiful, modern immersive MMORPGs that are around today.

[@jeff-ds2pr]

I shit myself and had nightmares for 4 nights straight after playing this game.

[@Theodore-g7f]

I'm 58 and I remember playing this game religiously as a child! Used to jump scare the heck out of me when I would walk into the next room and a beastie would jump me.

[@davebooshty299]

7:47 The Twilight Zone Jingle ?

[@MikeyT0601]

This was one of the first games my family got in the early 80's. Love it

[@PopePourrys]

I think the beauty of this game (and older games in general) is that, because of the limitations of the hardware, they allowed your imagination to run wild. The graphics and the gameplay laid out a foundation for you, and your own mind provided the rest.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Couldn't agree more. 😁 Did you see my essay on that very subject? kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6SvZqd3m8qZjqs

[@PopePourrys]

@@GenXGrownUp Thanks; I'm saving that video so I can watch it tonight. I appreciate you and your content!

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@PopePourrys I appreciate you watching. All my best!

[@tedthrasher9433]

One of my all time favorites. It still has great replay value. At a minimum I play it every Halloween. This is one of those Atari 2600 games that still holds up today 42 years later!

[@GenXGrownUp]

🎃 Happy Halloween! 👻

[@jacobmetz3267]

I loved this game! Here's my memory of it: I always had an additional feeling of dread when I went to the 4th floor. And I have no idea why! 😂 I guess it was just something about it being the highest level? The furthest from the main entrance and hence, the furthest from safety? I don't know. It was crazy, but I loved it. Great content! Thank you so much for posting. 👍

[@wisteela]

Yes, I've got to get this game for my machine. I love the eyes. And they've even done sort of Gothic style numbers.

[@fnt100]

Definitely a great game. I used to just walk around for the eyes and footsteps. If October is spooky stuff, I'm hoping Mountain King is coming up.

[@Splusmer]

Ooo, yes, another vote for Mountain King! I played it on my 800; I was terrible at it but loved it nonetheless. One of my top 800 games, like Haunted House was one of my top three 2600 games (with Adventure and Pitfall)

[@sandal_thong8631]

I couldn't get the treasure in the '90s before finding the manual online in the '00s. I forget if I ever won the level by getting to the top with it. If so, then I didn't win the second level. Mountain King: pain in the butt.

[@josephcolella3107]

A classic. One of the best 2600 games

[@frankez99]

Great video, brings back some great memories!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks, glad to hear it!

[@robsolf]

I like how the monsters blow out your match. Really ramps up the jump factor.

[@MrClawt]

That cover art is so good. Really captures the spirt of the game.

[@thatvikingtemper]

I think I still have a copy of "Haunted House" in an old shoe box of Atari game cartridges from back in the day. I've got an Atari 2600, too, but my dad modified it so we could play it on a certain TV.

[@jeffd.7932]

I wish you had played a bit more. I used to have this game, and it brought back so many memories!

[@JustMe99999]

Such an underrated VCS game... loved it as a kid.

[@chrisinhotwater9896]

I still have this game. This was one of the good ones.

[@FischerFan]

@3:22 - Take note! The map for Floor 3 in the game instructions manual was printed upside down in error.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Ooooh, is that right? Nothing a pencil can't fix! 📝

[@sandal_thong8631]

I was going to say that. Maybe pin this comment?

[@sjntube]

Many fond fond memories playing Haunted House! I managed to convince myself that there was another secret buried in this game. I have HOURS clocked in it just searching for secrets! Come on, this game just SCREAMS secret! Never found anything. (I'm still not giving up!) Oh, a request for Friday Play - Dodge 'Em! It's always forgotten about but I had the most fun playing that game!

[@ednguyen3822]

I cannot play this game. the creepy sound effects, and sudden noise when the ghost surprises and kills me will give me a heart attack one day.

[@shortfuze5685]

Wow i remember this game. It was kinda a spooky.

[@havokan45]

as kid i loved this game my favorite thing about the game was the sounds and when you walk

[@zerobyte802]

My parents got me this game for Christmas. I played it and played it and played it some more. It’s so fun.

[@number6223]

Love this game! I vividly remember playing this in the early 80s as a kid.

[@ButterSpider3]

Never had this as a kid. I played a friend’s once. We didn’t understand it at the time. So it was quickly pushed aside in favor of Adventure. But, I have recently come to appreciate it as a fun and unique game for the system.

[@erichgeoppinger7112]

Great video - I am a recent subscriber and have binging your older content. I would love to see MASH on a Friday play

[@GenXGrownUp]

Welcome, and I'm glad you found us! There's a LOT of older content, so you have your work cut out for you. 😉 Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mathewweichel1050]

I used to love and hate this game as a little kid. So much anxiety, and it never failed to jump-scare me when I'd go up or down stairs and suddenly BOOM.... monster-death! Still, the simplicity of some of these games are truly a chef's kiss.

[@JohnMichaelson]

IMO this really did have the best sounds of any VCS game made. It was genuinely creepy played in the dark on the difficulties where you can't see walls.

[@BrianJonson]

Love this review! I’m playing it tonight

[@GenXGrownUp]

Does my heart good to hear one of my vids inspires someone go play the game in question! 🥰

[@VvMythWolfvV]

I loved this game when I was a kid. I am Gen X. I loved the Atari, it was all I had for a long time until I finally got an NES. I still played my 2600 after I got my nintendo.

It's just now that I realize that the sound that plays when you win is the Twilight Zone theme, or close to it.

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

I literally hadn't thought about this game from the times I played it as a kid until watching this video.

[@ryandavis5475]

Dude! I was very young when I had this game and still, I understood the idea. It took a couple plays, but I figured you needed specific items and had to swap some protection to get the things, then get out. However, this as a very young.child, frightened me to no end when I was.hot.by an enemy. Yet I still played.

[@Halbared]

This is ace. This is ace. The adventure games on the old BBC are quite good.

[@mr.pavone9719]

11:03 No, the bat does not carry things but on games 7 and 8 the bat will STEAL any item you are carrying. Make sure to read the game options in the manual if you give the game a try because each option makes major changes to the rules of the game. I LOVE Haunted House! Like Adventure, it's different every time but it's overall a simple game. I figured out how to "cheat" the inventory system by pressing up against a door and dropping/retrieving the item I'm carrying. Eventually the item will be dropped on the other side of the door. This is a great trick if you haven't found the key yet.

[@sandal_thong8631]

Good one. I'll have to try and see if that works. I never use the key, but that could be a good strategy with the key too.

[@mr.pavone9719]

Oh yeah, it turns out the bat will steal items in game option 9 as well.

[@justahumbledude]

Bought and played this game as a kid. The highest complexity is where the real fun is. The lower difficulty levels is just to get a feel.

[@htennek42]

One of my favorite 2600 games.