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When considering horror game protagonists, Barbie is not the initial thought that comes to mind. Yet individuals who played the delightfully dark 1998 PC game Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper understands that Barbie truly possesses survivor qualities.

The Bizarre Setup

The premise is suitably strange: Barbie and her companion Becky have recently completed from their neighborhood investigator school, as obviously that's a thing. A "seasonal fundraising festival" is taking place locally, and Ken is strangely the event organizer, even though he and Barbie are indicated as adolescents. Yet the nighttime before the carnival opens, tragedy strikes: Ken vanishes via a sorcery performance error, and the charity money vanishes with him! Naturally, it's the responsibility of Detective Barbie, her friend Becky (who serves as her "support operator"), and the player to unravel the puzzle of his absence.

Investigator Barbie was saying gamer names out loud well before Fallout 4 and Starfield attempted the trick — and she could pronounce nearly any name.

The Creepiness Starts

Things get weird almost right away. Upon starting up the game, users are asked to choose their name from a list, and Barbie will verbally refer to the player by name all through the experience. It's hard to stress how extensive and detailed this selection of names is. For those who has historically had trouble finding keychains with your name on them at present boutiques, you might believe you're unlucky here, but you're mistaken. There are thousands of names on the list, which looks to include almost all versions of every girl's given name in existence, from incredibly common to surprisingly rare. While Barbie speaks the player's name with a frankly terrifying amount of bubbly enthusiasm, it isn't similar to text-to-speech, which has me questioning how long Barbie voice actress Chris Anthony Lansdowne remained in the studio listing damn near every female name under the sun.

Roaming the Festival

After users input their name, they gain control of Barbie as she investigates the location of the crime. It's late at night, and she's all alone (except for Becky, who sometimes updates via the Crime Computer). In retrospect, I can't move past how much wandering around the game's creepy carnival grounds resembles playing Silent Hill 3. Sure, this carnival lacks blood and rust, or infested with terrifying creatures like Lakeside Amusement Park, but the feel is unquestionably eerie. The situation becomes more paranoia-inducing when Barbie starts noticing a shadowy form lurking in the fair. It becomes clear she's accompanied after all.

It's hard to beat a nerve-wracking pursuit down a absurdly lengthy chute to boost your adrenaline.

Unsettling Rides and Chases

As you guide Barbie through progressively disturbing rides and attractions (the spooky decoration closet still gives me nightmares), the player will come across clues, which she transmits to Becky to examine. The clues finally direct Barbie to the unknown person's location, and it's her duty to hunt them down, chasing Ken's kidnapper through a selection of fairground classics including dodgem cars, an massive chute with branching paths, and a dimly lit tunnel of love. These chases were truly thrilling — the music turns suspenseful, and a single misstep could lead to the suspect fleeing.

Surprising Depth

Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper had a astonishing degree of complexity, especially for a end-of-the-century interactive title aimed at female children. Rather than dressing up Barbie, or engaging with her equines, Detective Barbie focused on genuine interactive elements, had a captivating plot, and was incredibly eerie. It even had certain replayability — every game session changed the varieties of hints players would discover, and concerning Ken's kidnapper, there were multiple suspects — the offender's persona altered with each session you played. After the case was cracked, players could even print out a Junior Detective badge to show off for top-tier social status.

Baby's first jumpscare! The clues in this room groan audibly or appear abruptly as players scrutinize them.

Influence and Successors

Certainly, after a few replays, you'd eventually see everything the game had to offer, but it was amazing in its era, and even generated two subsequent titles: 1999's Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery, and 2000's Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise. The company continues cranking out Barbie video games currently — the upcoming title is Barbie Horse Tails (yes, another equestrian/customizing adventure), which launches in the coming weeks. Even though the images are a clear enhancement over Detective Barbie, I am skeptical Barbie Horse Tails contains the same amount of play detail, repeat appeal, or general spookiness as its 1990s forerunners, which is somewhat disappointing.

A Gateway to Horror

Regardless of the company's initial goals for the game, Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper finally evolved into my introduction to scary media, and I'd appreciate observing Detective Barbie appear in another playful-yet-eerie game that extends past costuming and equestrian activities. The globe contains numerous pony lovers, but it could certainly benefit from more hard-boiled Junior Detectives unraveling critical benefit festival cases.