Video game violence is still a bit of a hot button issue, but it’s not as ill informed as it once was. It’s funny to look back on the video games that were being focused on for their mature content. Mortal Kombat is understandable, but the focus on a simple FMV game on the Sega CD, Night Trap, is surprising. This was an interactive video that can be best compared to something like Dragon’s Lair. You don’t have direct control of a character and instead rely on timed button presses which carry out specific actions in the video footage. Night Trap was never going to be a big hit what with the fact that it was released on the Sega CD, and only gained notoriety as being one of the violent video games that Congress focused on. It was comical by the standards back when it was first released, but today it’s a total joke. Let’s take a look.
You play as a nameless and faceless member of an organization called S.C.A.T. (the Sega Control Attack Team). This group is currently investigating a series of cases wherein young women have gone missing at a lake side estate owned by the quirky Mr. and Mrs. Martin. This story begins as another group of hapless ladies have arrived with one of them being an undercover agent (played by Dana Plato) from your team. The house just happens to contain within it a series of hidden cameras and traps that can be activated remotely, and you’re the sole person in control of these. You must protect the girls by switching the monitor feeds to each room, and use the various traps to stop anyone who might cause harm to the damsels in distress. The game is based mostly on trial and error because there’s no clear indication of where you should be looking. Enemies (referred to as augers) frequently enter the house, and you have only a small window of opportunity to trap them. Furthermore, many scenes related to the story and others that are more random occur simultaneously in the different rooms. That fact certainly warrants playing Night Trap multiple times, but many of these optional scenes are pretty darn cheesy or downright boring.
The most interesting thing about Night Trap is that the game unfolds in real-time. You’re given a timer built into the HUD which shows how much time has elapsed since you have gained control. This is most useful in the fact that it allows you to write down which rooms you need to activate traps in and at what time. Of course, you could always just consult with an online guide but where’s the fun in that? There are a total of ninety five augers that you can trap throughout the duration of this game (the whole thing unfolds in just over twenty five minutes), and although you don’t need to snag all of them there are some which if missed lead to an immediate game over. There’s actually a fair bit of things that you need to manage here, and despite hating the overwhelming cheese factor I found myself seeking out scenes I may have missed. The entire package reeks of the worst kind of B-movie, but I do kind of like its atmosphere. There is however very little violence, almost no foul language, and it’s more comical than it is horrifying. It’s hard to believe that this title was one of the few examples provided to showcase how violent video games were becoming.
Managing the security system at this house is a little tricky because the entire thing is color coded. Characters within the house can switch the activation color, and you have to line up yours to match in order to continue making use of it. What this means is that you must constantly check back to the room where it’s managed so that you will know when someone has tinkered with it. I found this to be one of the more interesting aspects of this game, but it’s a little tedious to be honest. Another nice touch is that you have a meter on the bottom part of the screen which shows when you must activate your traps. This saves some trial and error because it’s too difficult to rely on the video feed alone. Night Trap actually has different endings but which one plays out is determined by whether or not you have a perfect game so far. This means that you’ve captured all of the augers as well as saved all of the human characters possible. As I mentioned earlier the game takes place over the course of twenty five real life minutes, but it will take you longer because you will need to map out the events thus leading to multiple attempts.
Unfortunately the Sega CD wasn’t quite up to the task of displaying real footage. The video is extremely grainy, and takes up less than half of the entire screen. As far as I’m aware this is the worst looking version of Night Trap. Aside from quality the video footage is entirely cheesy. The augers lumber through the house clumsily, and though I assume this was intentional to make them more eerie it just comes off as cheesy. They look like drunkards dressed in garbage bags. It’s hilarious for sure, but I can’t help but assume the developers actually thought this would work. The violence is almost entirely implied. Rather than your typical slasher film where people get stabbed or hacked the victims here get a weird looking shot. There’s no blood, and the weapons don’t look like anything that you would find in a standard horror film. This is one of the big reasons why it’s so crazy that this game was thrust into the spotlight. The voice acting is also ridiculous with hollow performances, and cheesy lines. The best part is when the commander of S.C.A.T. freaks out if you let too many people die, but everything else is not as entertaining unfortunately.
