It's almost October, so like a lot of YouTubers I'm playing some spooky games...but I get scared easily so I'm doing some Scooby-Doo titles. Welcome to Scoob-Tober, zoinks!

The fourth game is Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase for the PlayStation 1, based on the animated movie of the same name. That movie involved the gang being transported inside of a video game to fight a computer virus so it makes a lot of sense to turn that into an actual video game in real life. Unlike the previous Scooby-Doo games I've played, there's no mystery solving or puzzle elements involved this is a straight up platformer.

The game is heavily inspired by Crash Bandicoot as a behind-the-back linear 3D platformer with occasional side scrolling moments, with a similar rotating hub world like Crash 2 and 3's. You play as either Scooby or Shaggy depending on the world, and your movement options are jumping, double jumping, a ground pound to break crates and hurt some enemies, and crawling. There's also pies you can collect and use as projectiles, the most efficient way of dealing with most enemies and taking down bosses.

There are seven worlds divided into three levels, two being platforming challenges (with a few vehicle stages thrown in) and the final level of each world being a boss fight. The levels aren't too difficult with plenty of checkpoints, but the platforming can be a bit tricky due to stiff controls. In particular when platforming as Scooby, his long body and four legs compared to Shaggy's two can make it a bit difficult to line yourself up with tricky jumps and near the end I lose quite a bit of lives due to being a bit confused as to where Scooby is going to land.

There's a part in this game that's basically Road to Nowhere from Crash 1.

The boss fights are pretty simple affairs and pattern-based, you have to dodge the boss' attacks until an opening and hit them with pies---and the game directly tells you where this is. They all have three hits, though some bosses have surprise attacks after you decrease their life that can potentially kill you.

The game looks pretty nice and represents the movie well, though the character models are all based on the original Scooby-Doo rather than the newer designs they used in the film. Ironic, since the end of the film had them meet video game versions based on their original designs---maybe you are playing as the video game versions but I'm pretty sure it's the real gang virtualized? The game doesn't spoil who the man behind the mask of the film is though.

One thing I find charming is the voice cast from the film return for the game, and there's a ton of unique dialog. The game is a bit handholdy as the gang are constantly calling you throughout every level to give you hints, warn you about incoming obstacles, or just congratulate you for getting to the end of the level. You can ignore their calls thankfully, but I like to hear their voices, so I answer most of them in my playthrough. Some of their explanations aren't the most helpful though.

It's a solid platformer for kids with some difficulty spikes, if you have nostalgia for the film you'll like this game as it has plenty of direct references to stages from the film's game. I think it has that charming PS1 aesthetic, but remembering it came out in 2001 when the PS2 was already out makes it feel a outdated at the same time. Like it pales in comparison to the original Crash trilogy which ended in 98, both in terms of visuals and gameplay. But for a licensed game probably rushed out to tie-in to the movie (did they decide to make the movie video game themed to release a game for it?) it's extremely serviceable and fun.

Probably the best Scooby-Doo game I've played even if it lacks the mystery element central to the franchise