Review: Halloween Party 2013

We only have three months left in the year and yet we just received our first real-world holiday party of 2013.  Having attended every single one since 2008, what do I think of this latest outing?

Source: YouTube

I have to say, first off, this party feels like a continuation of last month's Medieval Party.  Why?  Well, witches, who were very important to this year's Medieval Party, are very relevant during Halloween.  The Halloween Party 2013 just feels like part two of something that started in September.  This causes no part of me dislike or like the party more; it's just a little distracting when you think of all the parallels.

The main focus of this year's parties is not a story-line, unlike previous years that had us venturing into chambers and scouring haunted houses.  This year takes the focus to the most basic of all Halloween festiveness - Trick or Treating.

The Trick or Treating process is incredibly simplistic, yet nice.  However, unlike most things in this modern age of Club Penguin, I encountered no bugs.  This method also is sort of creative.  The thought of using candy as currency and also having transformation sweets in the mix is a neat idea.

Source: Best Club Penguin Cheats

Speaking of which, the items are fairly good at this party.  Some are returning favorites (including the creepy doll, a costume which has created lots of material for the Club Penguin Community) while others are brand new ones or updated older ones.  I particularly like the vampire one - dare I say it's one of the best costumes of the year?

The new way to "advertise" your igloo through the Trick or Treat list is another idea that is really neat, yet incredibly simple.  Club Penguin should try and incorporate it into more parties, in my opinion.  However, I don't like that you can only buy one "pumpkin dispenser" (and for that matter, one party pack).  It also doesn't beat an igloo contest...

The transformations at this party are also nice, just as they were last month.  One thing that really pleased me was when I discovered that for each version/color of the three transformations, the wave action and look of the player-card art was different.  They weren't just a different colored version of the other two - they had a different personality.  This fixes the gripe I had with the dinosaur transformations at the Prehistoric Party.  If only the dance changed, too.

Source: Gpumpkin

The only gripe I have with the transformations at this party is that they really aren't needed.

Don't stone me!!  Let me explain!

Source: Gpumpkin

Transformations are relatively new in the Club Penguin world.  Not counting the special one during the Club Penguin Improvement Project, they kicked off in 2012 with the Puffle Party and came back in 2013 at the same party.  They also were featured at 2012's Halloween Party and Holiday Party and the Prehistoric Party and Medieval Party of 2013.  At all of these parties, the transformations turned you into a different creature or gave you something special that a costume could not (example: the Frost Bite transformation of last year's Holiday Party looked like a costume, but gave you a special walk).

However, the zombie, werewolf, and vampire at this year's party could very well just have been costumes with special dances that we could then enjoy 365 days a year.  They aren't like the puffle transformations, which can't be costumes because you don't look anything like a penguin.  The only upside is that if they had not been transformations, we would be unable to wear (most) clothes over it.

Sure, if they were costumes, you wouldn't get that same feel that you get when you see the smoke transform your penguin.  However, I think it would've been nice.

Source: Club Penguin Space

The rooms at this party are great.  Many are brand new or updated.  The Gariwald nod at the Dock is a great Easter Egg for devoted Club Penguin fans.  I only wish that Club Penguin would try to insert more in the future.

The music at the Halloween Party has always been top notch.  This year, when Spike Hike told us that there would be no new music at the party because the Team was taking a little bit of a break, I must confess I was disappointed.  However, when there was new music I was both surprised and actually a little disappointed, in a different way.

The new songs at this party all have a perfect catchy tune that really deserves to be with the rest.  But, there's where that second problem comes in.  There is (basically) no "rest".

Source: Monchocho

There are around five or six tracks at this party, one of which is a remix.  Three are new this year.  One is from 2012.  And then there are one or two classic tracks.

It bothers me a little how uneven the music distribution is a bit.  I'd like a balance (different music in almost every room) instead of one ring to rule them all tune to dominate, with a few others thrown in here or there.

And that brings me to one part of the party that annoys me a bit.  Now, I'm all for new stuff, but I do miss the haunted mansions and the quests. I miss the old rooms and music.  I also really miss riddle scavenger hunts - when was the last time we had one of those!?

Source: Meta Cafe

This party is almost completely new, which is a good thing when it comes to keeping veterans such as myself interested. But, it is sad for us old-timers to see some our favorite things go.  There needs to be a balance.

One small thing that I noticed was the annual storm's role at the party.  Every year since 2008, the storm that rolled over Club Penguin every year was a major player at the party.  It was a big part of it - 2008's party almost completely focused on it as it was a first of its kind thing and it also was a very important plot device to the ninja journey.  However, this year, Club Penguin seemed to try something a little different.  They seemed to try and combine the lunar eclipse of pre-2008 Halloween Parties and the storm of 2008-onward parties.

This is cool in one way - the eclipse looks rather nice, as does the storm.  I just have one small nit-pick here: why do the storm clouds not have lightning coming from them when you click them, though they did in previous years?  There's really no reason why there wouldn't be.  I remember how I was so fascinated with that when I was younger and I kind of miss it.

Source: Beztar

My final point is one I felt about September's Medieval Party as well, though I forgot to mention it in my review of it.  This party doesn't feel as epic as previous years.  Trick or Treating is nice and all, but it's not as exciting and big as searching a haunted mansion for the keys to unlock a mystery years in the making.  The same can be said as far as making potions and battling a dictator-like dragon is concerned.

This doesn't seem to fit with the silent Club Penguin policy of making returning parties more "epic" each year they come back.  The new features are nice, they just don't feel so grand.

So, in closing, the Halloween Party proves that a large age isn't a sign of bad things.  There's still something fresh each year.  While this party doesn't beat 2012's ghost adventure or 2008's classic scavenger hunt, this event is one I will enjoy every minute of and will welcome back again and again for many, many year to come.

Source: Club Penguin PG

As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- Chillin43