The CarnEvil logo.

CarnEvil is a rail shooter arcade game using a light gun. Released by Midway Games on October 31 (Halloween), 1998, CarnEvil is noted for its graphic content and strong lifelike violence which was peppered with heavy amounts of black humor. CarnEvil is a portmanteau of "The Carnival of Evil" and was inspired by the 1962 movie Carnival of Souls. It is the most successful light gun style game produced by Midway Games.

Plot

The game is set in the fictional town of Greeley Valley, Iowa. The main character, Jacob, joins a tractor-drawn trailer named Spooky Sam's Ghost Tour. According to a legend, if a golden token is inserted into the tombstone of Ludwig von Tökkentäkker, a haunted amusement park will rise from the earth. The main character leaves the tour and inserts a coin into the tombstone, resulting in an undead carnival to appear. Wielding a gun from the shooting gallery, the main character fights through hordes of monsters and eventually escapes. The game consists of four levels, each ending with a boss fight. The bosses are all in the form of carnival attractions as well as some European archetypes. Upon defeating Tökkentäkker and surviving the explosion of the airship, Jacob awakes the next morning to find himself back in the cemetery but ultimately decides to re-summon CarnEvil for a second round, much to the horror of Lisa.

Intro

The following poem appears at the start of the game:

When the Moon is full and trees are bare -

Walk through the Cemetery if you dare.

Where skeletons rot and corpses fester -

Locate the tomb with the skull of a Jester.

Feed him the token all shiny and new -

It is then that CarnEvil will return for YOU!

Gameplay

The players shoot enemies on the screen while progressing through four amusement park-themed horror environments while avoiding civilians. Shooting civilians earns a life penalty, but does not garner any long-term consequences or changes to the game. Power-ups such as extra health, clip increases, and gun power-ups are among other possible rewards for shooting non-civilians. Grabbing these power-ups also provides bonus points. It is said to be "the most twisted video game ever" by the LA Weekly; CarnEvil lives up to this title. In this game you battle undead elves, fast food workers, freaks, and many others. The weapon is a pump-shot gun which can be powered up to a machine gun, a double-blast shotgun, a flame-thrower, and even an acid shooter. The game is red stickered for a good reason. This game contains blood and gore, intense violence, and disturbing images but still manages to maintain a sense of cartoonish albeit dark humor. For example, in the Rickety Town level, you can hit a target that will have one of the zombie fast food workers dunked in a vat of boiling oil and fried undead. While it has a creepy atmosphere, the lightning in CarnEvil that gives throughout the levels is fantastic when it came out, even today.

Environments

In Corresponding order:

• Rickety Town - A traditional carnival setting focusing on familiar sights such as roller coasters, a ferris wheel, game stalls, flat rides, bumper cars, and a food court. The most prominent ride is the Christmas-themed "Slay Ride" roller coaster which delivers the player to an ice skating rink to face the boss character.

• Haunted House - A Victorian-style mansion surrounded by a graveyard and posing as a dark ride; filled with zombies, ghosts, spiders, bats, and other Halloween favorites. The player enters through the foyer and fights his way through the den, hallways, and kitchen before ascending to the second floor and onto the roof where one of the wagons knocks the players into the graveyard for the boss fight.

• Freak Show - Boardwalk-style sideshow of the bizarre and astounding featuring a host of deformed opponents which make this stage particularly disturbing. The player begins in the freak exhibition and from there fights monsters in a museum of oddities, a monkey cage, and then a Tower of London-themed torture exhibition. A macabre assembly line beneath the Chamber delivers the player to a gigantic play pen to face the boss.

• Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's Big Top - Immense circus tent swarming with undead clowns, mimes, and circus animals - this is the main attraction of the nightmarish carnival. Ascending the big top by means of cannon, trapeze, and tightrope allows you to reach Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's zeppelin where the final battle takes place.

Characters

The Good

• Jacob - A local teenager and the protagonist of the game. He wears a red jacket with blue jeans and carries a flashlight in his hand. After hearing the legend of CarnEvil, he takes Spooky Sam's Ghost Tour through the local Greeley Valley Cemetery to see whether the stories are true. When he sees the professor's grave, he ditches the Ghost Tour and foolishly puts the token into the mouth of the Jester Skull. As Tökkentäkker and his minions emerge from the depths of Hell, Jacob learns that CarnEvil is beyond anything the legend described and grabs a pump-action shot gun from the shooting gallery, realizing that he must either fight his way out or die in the evil amusement park. He's played as Player 1.

• Lisa - A teenage girl who was on Spooky Sam's Ghost Tour as well. When CarnEvil is summoned from the cemetery, she indistinctly appears out of nowhere during the game. She follows the player in each level and usually winds up being attacked by spiders, zombies, etc. Upgrades to the pump-shot gun can be received by rescuing her from her attackers while accidentally shooting her results in damage to the player's life points. She is based on the main character from the 1960s horror B-movie "Carnival of Souls."

• Spooky Sam - The tour guide in Spooky Sam's Ghost Tour. He speaks with a Southern accent. He and most of his passengers are murdered when CarnEvil emerges from the grave.

• Ümlaut - The guide to the world of CarnEvil voiced by Frank Welker. He directs the player to whichever level that they choose to enter. He is a mini boss on the final level.

The Evil

Rickety Town Enemies

• Tinsels - Twisted little elves in Rickety Town who attack by throwing presents and stabbing with sharpened candy canes. They resemble the Green Goblin and are seen on the "Slay Ride" roller coaster.

• Carnie - The mascot of Rickety Town, an evil, fanged version of Barney the dinosaur but blue-green in color. They can be seen around the "Dino-Rama" flat ride and emerge from the whirling dinosaur eggs.

• Buzzy - Small insects grown fat on bad carnival food. They have razor sharp mandibles.

• Smilin' Bob (Mr. Smiley) - An overly cheerful gas station attendant whose grin never wavers even after half of his head is blown away; attacks by swinging a gas can or punching. He primarily appears in the "Bumper Car Garage" where he attacks both on foot and in the cars. Ironically, he is a humble and helpful employee, but don't be fooled by his friendly and happy smile.

• Skeleteens - The zombified and pimple-faced teenage employees of the food court who toss food and drinks and jump over the counter to punch. They have very fast attacks.

• Krampus the Anti-Claus - Monstrous Santa Claus with reindeer antlers, talons, and ice skates. He serves as the boss character in Rickety Town. Krampus comes from behind a giant Christmas tree when it turns around to reveal the other side. He glides around the skating rink and attacks with his claws but also uses a sack full of coals. Upon being defeated, he falls over and starts bleeding on the ice as snow begins to fall.

Haunted House Enemies

• Rotten Robbie - Zombies that have overrun the Haunted House; can throw knives, torsos, or punch and swipe at close range.

• Gools and Rayths - Evil spirits who haunt the halls of the mansion. These vile entities are known to appear almost anywhere throughout the level and seem to vanish when blasted.

• Arachne - Giant spiders who stalk the dark corridors of the Haunted House and make shrieking noises when killed.

• Legs - Smaller spiders who dwell in the basement of the Haunted House.

• Batty - Large bats who like to take a bite out of visitors. Be careful of them, as they can fly very fast and can overtake you because they are always seen in large groups.

• Grabby - Dangerous hands that pop out of the walls in the Haunted House. They only wish to claw at anyone foolish enough to enter the hallways.

• Hambone - Jason-inspired maniac and sub-boss in the Haunted House stage. Hambone first appears at the mansion entrance to try and stop the players. He wears a hockey mask and bib overalls while sporting a chaingun arm. After being defeated once, he later returns (as Hambone: The Revenge) and sporting a cannon that launches explosive skulls. He fires three or six skulls depending on the number of players. The mask can be shot off.

• Evil Marie - Parody of Marie Antoinette and boss of the Haunted House stage who emerges from her graveyard mausoleum. She appears as a lady vampire in fine dress and powdered wig. She sports an axe and comically over-sized breasts. She loses clothing as she takes damage until ending in a corset and stockings. Towards the end of the fight, Evil Marie summons a column of light which enables her to fire blasts of energy before being shot out of the air and impaled on the spire of her tomb.

Freak Show Enemies

• Human Fly - He is what his name says, a fly with a human head. He enjoys buzzing around the Fly Trap.

• Maggot Mike - Human-headed maggots who love to give visitors "kisses".

• Flap Jack - The upper bodies of conjoined twin acrobats connected at the waist, seen in the Freak Show. When you shoot the other half of the body, the opposite half will laugh; if you kill it and wound them, they'll laugh and choke when dying.

• NikNak - Deadly eight-legged "spider monkeys" created by cross-breeding those two creatures; very fast and agile. They all wear fez caps and are fought within a giant cage.

• Tort and Rodz - The badly mutilated inmates of the Chamber of Horrors. They are so badly tortured that a few shots will make the body drop fast to the ground.

• Eyeclops - Cockney speaking sub-boss of the Freak Show. You must defeat him before entering the Chamber of Horrors. Eyeclops appears as a two-headed ogre giant donning light armor, sword, and shield. He sports one eye on each head, three on his chest, and several others on his arms and legs. These are obviously his weak point and taking them out will reduce the greatest amount of his health. Use the rapid-fire tactic to take out every eye on his body so that he falls quickly.

• Junior - Gigantic infant sewn together from parts unknown and brought to life by lightning like Frankenstein. He's the boss of the Freak Show level. He is fought inside a gigantic playpen where he attempts to crush the players when awakened. He uses a vomiting attack which is nearly impossible to avoid. Ultimately, he is forced back into his crib where he is electrocuted. Arcade workers also have the option to replace Junior with Deaddy, a gigantic teddy bear who uses the same fighting tactics.

Big Top Enemies

• Mortito - Small imp-like bat headed creatures who speak only Spanish. They are usually seen in flight or launched out of a cannon.

• Big Johnny - Ironically, small clowns who wield knives or fling bowling pins and wear classic red, white and blue attire. Their favorite line is, "That's show business!"

• Marcello - A famous Marcel-looking mime who just seems to get in the way.

• Little Mugsy - Giant men in clown suits who make strange squeaking noises when hit. They attack the players with giant mallets or brass knuckles.

• Yippy - Undead rabid poodles in clown attire. They resemble Cujo and preform amazing feats!

• Dr. Giggles - A crazed surgeon who likes to "clown around" with his patients.

• Skeleton Crew - Numerous skeletons who appear during the final battle with Tökkentäkker. They are the Professor's crew members and will prevent the players from reaching their master.

• Ümlaut - He first appears as a petrified Jester Skull on Tökkentäkker's grave. When Jacob feeds him the gold token, he comes to life and summons CarnEvil. Upon selecting a level, Umlaut appears to give a brief rhyme to describe what's in store. Ümlaut returns as the sub-boss during the final battle on-board Tökkentäkker's airship. The player must defeat him before facing off with Tökkentäkker.

• Professor Ludwig von Tökkentäkker - The master of the Carnival of Evil and all of its horrors. Appearing as an eccentric gentleman in a brilliantly colored ringmaster's costume with five bell-shaped coat buttons and wearing a CarnEvil token as an eye patch, he commands from his zeppelin over CarnEvil, staffed by a skeleton crew. He wields a musket and randomly teleports during the fight, leading the players on a chase throughout his ship. Toward the fight's end, he summons a barrage of fireworks before finally being knocked into his own ship's propellers, causing the zeppelin to explode. Tökkentäkker's name is derived from "token taker" and he closely resembles the Insane Clown Posse Ringmaster.

Arcade Cabinet Information

Trapped inside the twisted world of CarnEvil and armed with a Multi-Function Pump Shotgun from the Shooting Gallery, you must battle your way through 3 demented levels:

Haunted House

Rickety Town

FREAK SHOW

Survive all 3 attractions and it's on to face the ultimate challenge in Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's BIG TOP!

• Shoot All Enemies!
• Avoid Hitting Innocent Bystanders!
• Shoot Hidden Powerups for Health and Awesome Firepower!

USE PUMP TO RELOAD OR SHOOT GUN OFFSCREEN!

Welcome to

CarnEvil

We're Visiting Your Town

No, That's Not The Walking Dead

It's Just A Silly Clown!

We Open Every Midnight

And Close Before The Dawn

Your Mommy May Come Look For You

But By Then We Will Be GONE!

Poems

Umlaut's poem before Rickety Town:

What goes up must come down.

Now you're headed for Rickety Town.

Ride all the rides, have some fun,

Then eat your heart out on a sesame seed bun!

Before the Haunted House:

Welcome to the Haunted House.

Meet a ghoul who lost her head.

If you'd like to stay and join us,

You're always welcome--alive or dead!

Before the Freak Show:

It's the Freak Show, the Freak Show,

See the strange and bizarre.

Step right up; we'd love to see you;

We think you could be the star!

Before the Big Top:

You've made it to our main attraction,

The three-ring circus in the Big Top tent.

We hope our clowns will entertain you

Before making you the main event!

CarnEvil Original Soundtrack

List of tracks in order. Original Score Composed by Kevin Quinn.

1. CarnEvil Introduction- 1:38
2. CarnEvil Superbeast- 0:30
3. Select Your Doom- 1:03
4. Christmas Wonderland- 1:06
5. Big Bunyan Ride!- 1:22
6. The Garage (Bumper Cars)- 1:30
7. Krampus- 1:31
8. Haunted House- 1:07
9. Freak Show- 0:52
10. The Chamber of Horrors- 1:25
11. Junior- 1:24
12. Ludwig von Tökkentäkker's Big Top- 1:04
13. The Final Ring- 1:04
14. The Baron's Airship- 1:17
15. Credits- 2:35

Trivia

• In 2001, Midway was going to release CarnEvil to the PS2 and PC. Due to unknown problems, it was canceled. However, Midway still made brand new mint condition CarnEvil Arcade cabinet systems in very low quantities back in 2003.

• Krampus, the boss of the Rickety Town stage is the hardest boss in the game due to the fact that his slashing combo is unavoidable.

External links

• CarnEvil at the Killer List of Videogames
• Arcade History: CarnEvil
• Official site of Midway Games (Does not actually have any information on CarnEvil, it is only the company website.)

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