Metamorphosis Collection [Review]
Ben Jelter’s horror anthology for Game Boy is an impressive collection.
Metamorphosis Collection. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Incube8 Games published Ben Jelter's Metamorphosis Collection, an anthology of three horror games on one cartridge for the Nintendo Game Boy. The games are linked together by the theme of transformation. I had a great time with all three: Opossum Country, Decline, and Specimen 134.
Opossum Country
The first game in the collection, Opossum Country, is a short adventure played from a top down perspective.
From Incube8:
In Opossum Country, you play as a food delivery guy who needs to make a delivery at a trailer park. What seems like another day at work quickly unravels. Can he complete his delivery or will his curiosity lead to his ultimate demise?
Opossum Country. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Opossum Country. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
This is the shortest game in the collection. You talk to the denizens of the trailer park, at first trying to figure out who ordered the food you need to deliver, but soon you’re drawn in by your own curiosity about the odd residents. The game only features a couple of areas to explore and some brief combat, but the story is compellingly creepy.
The game’s art is great. Jelter builds up a spooky atmosphere in the trailer park and the connected church. The cherry on the cake is the detailed, full-screen character portraits that we see during some of the conversations.
Decline
Decline is another short-form game. In this one, you play a policewoman on the edge of retirement who suffers from cognitive decline.
From Incube8:
In Decline, you play as an elderly police detective on the verge of retirement. Wrestling with cognitive decline, she attempts to solve the seemingly simple case. Though, things may not be as they seem as rumors spread about something called the ‘Glitch Witch’…
Decline. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Decline. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
This one has no combat. You explore several locations as you try to solve the case, making choices along the way. Some choices will lead to early endings, of which there are several.
Though the game compellingly explores cognitive decline from the unique point of view of the person suffering from it and features some genuinely creepy sequences, it’s my least favorite of the three games.
Specimen 134
Specimen 134 is the largest in the collection, a fully featured survival horror game. It’s an impressively executed Game Boy game with great graphics, multiple unique areas to explore, and multiple endings based on your choices.
From Incube8:
In Specimen 134, you play as a regular kid named Jason who starts to notice some very unusual things going on in his town. His friend David asks him if he wants to explore the woods but he might not like what he finds there…
Specimen 134. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Specimen 134. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Specimen 134 has a Stranger Things vibe. The child protagonist and his friends try to investigate the strange happenings in their town and the surrounding forest, while the adults fail due to their obliviousness. We experience the story through Jason’s interactions and research notes that he finds scattered around the area.
The game’s combat works like Opossum Country's. It shifts to a first-person perspective, and the player must move a cursor to aim at the slowly approaching enemy while reloading their weapon. In true survival horror fashion, ammo isn’t unlimited.
Specimen 134. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Specimen 134. Credit: Incube8 Games / Ben Jelter
Specimen 134 features adventure game style item-based puzzles, where key items will unlock new doors and paths or open up interactions that allow you to progress. I never found myself lost; after some exploration I was always able to figure out what to do next.
I was thoroughly impressed by the game’s art and graphics. Despite the system’s limitations, all the environments are visually distinct and well-rendered. Like Opossum Country, it also boasts exceptional portrait art. However, what truly captivated me was the game’s visual flair and effects, particularly how it portrays the character’s reflection on surfaces like water or ice.
In Conclusion
Metamorphosis Collection is an impressive set of horror games well worth your time, whether you play on the original hardware or get a digital edition in ROM form. I enjoyed the few hours I spent with it, and if you enjoy survival horror and retro games, you’ll love it.
Metamorphosis Collection is available now on cartridge or as a ROM. A demo is available on itch.io.
