We’ve been following the progress of the NES homebrew platform game Mister Scary – Where Are You? ever since its Kickstarter campaign launched, back in July last year, later covering the campaign’s success, and also on the release of the game on NES, and the announcement that Raitalaika Games would be bringing the game to modern formats.
So, with Ratalaika Games bringing Mister Scary – Where Are You? to modern formats, we thought it was finally time to try the game for ourselves, and we’re very glad we did!
Mister Scary – Where Are You? (henceforth ‘Mister Scary,’ is a side-scrolling platform game for the NES, and it features the tropes that you’d expect from this particular genre and format: there are missing loved ones to be rescued, tricky jumps to navigate, enemy heads to be bounced on, as well as collectable weapons to help you along the way, which, in Mister Scary include both a fire attack and an ice attack.
But what elevates Mister Scary above so many of the other NES platformers is the title character himself, who, as it turns out, is actually far from scary, oozing character and charm. Apparently, the Mister Scary character was inspired by the imaginary friend of a toddler, and he’s been brought to life in utterly charming style in this NES game, that’s set in a suitably spooky Halloween setting, with all sorts of seasonally appropriate baddies to dispense with, such as pumpkins and skeletons. In fact, so charming is the title character of M<ster Scary, that we’re sure that, had this game been released during the NES’s 1980s heyday it would have inspired a shedload of spin-off merch. We can certainly imagine Mister Scary starring in his very own animated series, and adorning the lunchboxes of kids across the world!
Speaking of kids, we were rather surprised to discover that Mister Scary had been slapped with an ERSB ‘Teen’ rating in North America, and a PEGI 16 rating in Europe, especially when you consider that the game’s lead character was inspired by a creation from the imagination of a very young child! Despite its spooky aetting, and its often high level of difficulty, to us, Mister Scary seems like a game that’s perfectly suited to kids! The game’s subtitle of ‘Where Are You’ even echoes that of the famous Scooby Doo Where Are You? series, with which Mister Scary is about on par with in terms of its scariness!
Overall, Mister Scary is a brilliantly made NES platformer that’s equally suited to NES platforming experts and newcomers alike, and at its scarily low budget price, there really is no excuse for not picking it up now, as it would make the perfect retro game to enjoy during those long dark nights of the spooky season this month!
And in addition to the NES game of Mister Scary itself, Ratalaika Games has also included some supplementary materials in the forms of a manual and a mock up of what a magazine ad for the game would’ve looked like, which is a lovely extra.
Mister Scary has been developed by Calgames, and it was published by Ratalaika Games on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, and XBOX (version reviewed) on October 2, 2026, priced at a mere $5.99 USD or local equivalent, with 20% off that already bargainous price if you buy before October 22, 2026.
