Should you have ventured anywhere near a big-box store in the past six weeks, you're doubtless all too conscious that maximum Grinch saturation is in full swing. All around, holiday decorations, cheaply made underpants, and knock-off tumblers featuring the grinning visage of the Dr. Seuss holiday-despising character are ubiquitous. This could look like a contemporary phenomenon, the vast Grinch merchandise empire has operated for quite some time, and the millennium merchandise-tie-in title The Grinch is perhaps among the most disturbing instances. And its final sequence will nightmares.
A Festive, Yet Forgettable, Release
Celebrating the November 2000 arrival of Jim Carrey's starring role as the green-faced menace, The Grinch game became available for PS1, Dreamcast, and Windows PC. It was published by Konami, a famous developer not typically known for creating scandals. Fundamentally, the gameplay involves the Grinch misplacing the blueprints he needs to execute his festive crime and embarking on a family-friendly destruction tour around the Who village, snatching and smashing packages while searching for his important papers. In other words, the usual festive villainy.
It Was Not a Hit
Anyway, The Grinch failed to sell very well (reportedly selling around 20,000 copies) and appeared to receive scant praise. Review outlets were harsh. One critic wrote, "While a scant few of The Grinch's missions are fun, the rest are boring, annoying, or both". Most review scores were in the region of 5/10, a rating that was a fatal blow in that era too. This means, just as I had, chances are you not seen the ending of this largely forgotten release almost no people bothered to play or found enjoyable. Thankfully, a curious online archivist has stepped up to fill the gaps.
Much to his dismay, the Grinch is overcome by positive emotions regarding Yuletide. Amid an impression that hovers somewhere between anguished and inebriated, he laments, "I love you! And everybody! Even the Whos!" Then he proceeds to fly his sleigh from his mountaintop lair to return every present he pilfered, tossing them in the village center, and requests mercy from all present.
Where Things Get Seriously Creepy
This is when the scene takes a dark turn: "Come sing along!" chirps a chipper Cindy Lou Who, while her pencil-thin arms wave like tentacles, and her teeth clip through her low-poly nose. Then the crudely rendered youngsters of Whoville chant a grating tune without moving their mouths. Fin. or is it?
A Secret Reward for the Dedicated
Thanks to additional digging, we now know that destiny had more content for this generic-brand Grinch: If you 100% the game, you will access a bonus ending that contains a slick bike and a quick race event that takes place in the village.
A Reward for the Few
Without a doubt, nobody with sense should attempt to 100% The Grinch for PS1, however, it's a neat bonus for its handful of superfans. And now, thanks to the miracle of digital archives, it's unnecessary to suffer through the actual gameplay to experience the fun. Happy holidays to everyone, and to all a good night!
