🔗 Share this article I Remain Unsettled by the Creepy Barbie Video Game That Remembered My Name. Upon reflecting on leads in scary games, Barbie isn't the initial thought that enters your head. However, those who experienced the charmingly eerie 1998 PC game Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper understands that Barbie absolutely has final girl potential. The Unusual Storyline The setup is suitably strange: Barbie and her pal Becky have newly finished from their area sleuthing college, since naturally that's an actual institution. A "seasonal fundraising festival" is taking place locally, and Ken is somehow the chairman of the event, although he and Barbie are indicated as adolescents. However, the evening before the carnival starts, disaster occurs: Ken goes missing via a sorcery performance error, and the benefit cash vanishes with him! Of course, it's up to Detective Barbie, her friend Becky (who serves as her "support operator"), and the player to crack the case of his absence. Detective Barbie was saying gamer names out loud well before Fallout 4 and Starfield attempted the trick — and she could say almost every name. Things Get Weird Things get weird nearly instantly. After booting up the game, users are prompted to select their name from a list, and Barbie will address the player by name during the entire adventure. It's hard to stress how extensive and detailed this name list is. Should you be a person who has consistently found it difficult discovering trinkets with your name on them at present boutiques, you might believe you're unlucky here, but you're wrong. There are thousands of names on the list, which looks to include nearly every variation of every feminine forename in existence, from extremely popular to surprisingly rare. Although Barbie says the player's name with a truly unsettling amount of lively energy, it doesn't sound like text-to-speech, which has me wondering how long Barbie voice actress Chris Anthony Lansdowne spent in the recording booth rattling off damn near every female name under the sun. Roaming the Festival After users input their name, they assume control over Barbie as she investigates the location of the crime. It's late at night, and she's completely by herself (except for Becky, who periodically contacts via the Crime Computer). Looking back, I can't get over how much roaming about the game's spooky festival site feels like playing Silent Hill 3. Certainly, this carnival doesn't feature blood and rust, or plagued by horrifying beings like Lakeside Amusement Park, but the atmosphere is distinctly spooky. The situation becomes more paranoia-inducing when Barbie starts noticing a mysterious silhouette lurking in the fair. It appears she's not alone after all. It's hard to beat a tense chase down a comically long slide to boost your adrenaline. Eerie Attractions and Pursuits While piloting Barbie through more and more creepy games and exhibits (the spooky decoration closet still haunts my dreams), the player will find evidence, which she forwards to Becky to examine. The clues finally direct Barbie to the unknown person's location, and it's her responsibility to track them down, following Ken's captor through a assortment of carnival/theme park staples including dodgem cars, an huge slider with diverging routes, and a poorly illuminated love tunnel. These chases were authentically exciting — the music becomes intense, and an incorrect action could lead to the suspect escaping. Surprising Depth Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper had a unexpected amount of detail, especially for a end-of-the-century interactive title designed for female children. In place of costuming Barbie, or engaging with her equines, Detective Barbie focused on real game mechanics, had a captivating plot, and was creepy as hell. It even had some replay value — each run-through changed the types of clues players would stumble across, and concerning Ken's kidnapper, there were multiple suspects — the offender's persona varied every playthrough you played. When the puzzle was unraveled, players could even print out a young sleuth emblem to exhibit for ultimate peer respect. The earliest scare! The clues in this room creak loudly or appear abruptly as players investigate them. Heritage and Follow-ups Certainly, after a few replays, you'd finally encounter everything the game had to offer, but it was remarkable back then, and even generated two subsequent titles: 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 upcoming title is Barbie Horse Tails (yes, another equestrian/customizing adventure), which launches soon. Even though the images are a certain upgrade over Detective Barbie, I doubt Barbie Horse Tails features the same degree of interactive complexity, replayability, or general spookiness as its end-of-century ancestors, which is kind of a shame. A Gateway to Horror Despite Mattel's original intentions for the game, Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper finally evolved into my introduction to scary media, and I'd enjoy witnessing Detective Barbie appear in another playful-yet-eerie game that extends past costuming and equestrian activities. Society possesses numerous pony lovers, but it could definitely use more tough young sleuths unraveling critical benefit festival cases.