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When considering horror game protagonists, Barbie hardly is the primary idea that enters your head. Yet individuals who experienced the delightfully dark 1998 PC game Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper understands that Barbie truly possesses heroine capabilities.

The Unusual Storyline

The setup is fittingly bizarre: Barbie and her pal Becky have newly finished from their local detective academy, since naturally that's a real concept. A "fall charity carnival" is happening nearby, and Ken is somehow the festival head, although he and Barbie are indicated as teenagers. However, the evening before the carnival opens, disaster occurs: Ken vanishes via a magic show mishap, and the benefit cash vanishes with him! Of course, it's up to Detective Barbie, her friend Becky (who functions as her "guy in the chair"), and the player to unravel the puzzle of his absence.

Detective Barbie was uttering user names verbally long before Fallout 4 and Starfield attempted the trick — and she could articulate virtually all names.

The Creepiness Starts

The peculiarity emerges pretty much immediately. Upon starting up the game, users are invited to pick their name from a list, and Barbie will address the player by name all through the experience. I must underline how extensive and detailed this name list is. Should you be a person who has often struggled locating souvenirs with your name on them at souvenir stores, you might think you're out of luck here, but you're incorrect. There are thousands of names on the list, which seems to list nearly every variation of every female first name in existence, from very usual to surprisingly rare. Even though Barbie utters the player's name with a frankly terrifying amount of lively energy, it doesn't sound like text-to-speech, which has me questioning how long Barbie voice actress Chris Anthony Lansdowne spent in the recording booth rattling off damn near every girl's name under the sun.

Investigating the Fair

When gamers provide their name, they gain control of Barbie as she investigates the location of the crime. The time is late, and she's all alone (except for Becky, who occasionally checks in via the Crime Computer). Looking back, I can't move past how much roaming about the game's spooky festival site feels like playing Silent Hill 3. Admittedly, this carnival doesn't feature blood and rust, or overrun by terrifying creatures like Lakeside Amusement Park, but the vibes are decidedly creepy. It only grows more paranoia-inducing when Barbie starts detecting a dark figure roaming the grounds. Turns out she's accompanied after all.

There's nothing like a nerve-wracking pursuit down a absurdly lengthy chute to raise your heart rate.

Spooky Games and Hunts

As you guide Barbie through progressively disturbing amusements and displays (the spooky decoration closet still terrifies me), the player will discover hints, which she transmits to Becky to examine. The clues ultimately lead Barbie to the mysterious figure's location, and it's her responsibility to track them down, pursuing Ken's abductor through a variety of amusement park standards including dodgem cars, an huge slider with branching paths, and a faintly lit romance passage. These chases were truly thrilling — the music gets tense, and an incorrect action could result in the suspect getting away.

Unexpected Complexity

Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper had a astonishing degree of complexity, especially for a 1990s click-based adventure targeted at female children. Rather than outfitting Barbie, or playing with her horses, Detective Barbie concentrated on genuine interactive elements, had a engaging narrative, and was creepy as hell. It even had some replay value — each playthrough changed the kinds of evidence players would come upon, and when it came to Ken's kidnapper, there were various potential culprits — the offender's persona changed each time you played. When the puzzle was unraveled, players could even print out a young sleuth emblem to display for ultimate peer respect.

Baby's first jumpscare! The clues in this room squeak noisily or pop up suddenly as players examine them.

Heritage and Follow-ups

Of course, after a handful of reruns, you'd finally encounter everything the game had to offer, but it was remarkable back then, and even produced two follow-ups: 1999's Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery, and 2000's Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise. The brand remains releasing Barbie video games currently — the forthcoming game is Barbie Horse Tails (yes, another pony care/styling experience), which releases soon. While the graphics are a certain upgrade over Detective Barbie, I doubt Barbie Horse Tails contains the same amount of play detail, replayability, or overall eeriness as its 1990s forerunners, which is somewhat disappointing.

An Entry to Fear

Irrespective of the brand's primary aims for the game, Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper ultimately turned into my gateway to the horror genre, and I'd enjoy witnessing Detective Barbie feature in another playful-yet-eerie game that goes beyond dress-up and horse-riding. The globe contains numerous pony lovers, but it could definitely use more tough young sleuths solving high-stakes charity carnival crimes.