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Ghoul Catchers App Coming Soon Posted by Dave

Posted on December 19, 2014, 4:45 pm NST





This app looks to be quite different from what was previously teased by Viacom. Rather than an app to supplement existing players by doing dailies and feeding your pet, this app seems to be a completely standalone game. Hopefully good for when you're away from your computer (or for drawing in some fresh players!)



Now, for some spoilers!











Description

Unhaunt houses and banish ghouls!



Mix and match ghouls and ghosts in this brand new game from the creators of Neopets! Brave Bren, the Professor, and Glyn need your help- phantoms and ghouls have escaped from the Haunted Woods and taken over the world. Join this professional team of Ghoulcatchers on their quest to make the world safe again!



You'll need to make matches of three or more to banish the scariest of spirits and unhaunt these houses. Combine four or more ghouls to create special tiles or use game-changing power-ups to clear the board!



Features

EARN REWARDS: Earn Neopoints and exclusive Neopets items!

POWER UPS: Power-ups like Ghoul-Be-Gone and Tailchaser can help you out in tough times!

EXPLORE NEOPIA: Venture through different lands like Brightvale and Faerieland.

ADOPT A PETPET: Have a Petpet companion accompany you on your journey.

TONS OF LEVELS: Catch ghouls in 40 levels of increasing complexity - more coming soon!

More Information

Ghoulcatchers is free to play, but contains in-app purchases for additional items such as power-ups that grant you extra lives and help you in the game. You may lock out the ability to purchase the upgrade by disabling in-app purchases through your device's settings.



Registration information is optional (children under 13 require parent registration). You will be able to be notified of game updates and new features along with integration to the online virtual world Neopets.com.



Availability

Currently, there are plans for the app to be available on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices (via the Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, iTunes App Store, and Windows Store).



A release date is currently unknown. (But most likely not until 2015.)



As always, when more information becomes available, we'll be posting to let you know. Look out for a guide when the app is finally released!



Now that Neopets is finally going mobile, what do you think? Will you be downloading the app? Let us know in the comments! Follow @jellyneo on Twitter for all the latest #Neopets news! A Neopets-themed mobile app is finally on its way, and it looks to be a Sutek's Tomb-esque game themed around the Ghoul Catchers This app looks to be quite different from what was previously teased by Viacom. Rather than an app to supplement existing players by doing dailies and feeding your pet, this app seems to be a completely standalone game. Hopefully good for when you're away from your computer (or for drawing in some fresh players!)Now, for some spoilers!Here are some more details on the app:Unhaunt houses and banish ghouls!Mix and match ghouls and ghosts in this brand new game from the creators of Neopets! Brave Bren, the Professor, and Glyn need your help- phantoms and ghouls have escaped from the Haunted Woods and taken over the world. Join this professional team of Ghoulcatchers on their quest to make the world safe again!You'll need to make matches of three or more to banish the scariest of spirits and unhaunt these houses. Combine four or more ghouls to create special tiles or use game-changing power-ups to clear the board!Ghoulcatchers is free to play, but contains in-app purchases for additional items such as power-ups that grant you extra lives and help you in the game. You may lock out the ability to purchase the upgrade by disabling in-app purchases through your device's settings.Registration information is optional (children under 13 require parent registration). You will be able to be notified of game updates and new features along with integration to the online virtual world Neopets.com.Currently, there are plans for the app to be available on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices (via the Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, iTunes App Store, and Windows Store).A release date is currently unknown. (But most likely not until 2015.)As always, when more information becomes available, we'll be posting to let you know.Look out for a guide when the app is finally released!Now that Neopets is finally going mobile, what do you think? Will you be downloading the app? Let us know in the comments!

There are 78 comments below. Add yours!

fabio21 , December 19, 2014 4:46 PM NST Nice, but i need a neo app because some things dont load on mobile

lazybutt , December 19, 2014 4:48 PM NST Yes, definitely! I love the look of the game, and it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm very interesting in the integration with the actual website, and excited at the prospect of getting exclusive items!

gerommey , December 19, 2014 4:52 PM NST It's not the app we wanted, but it's still a great start.

june_scarlet , December 19, 2014 4:55 PM NST But who's the Purple Cybunny? I thought the other guy was a Kiko.

sosoeuso , December 19, 2014 4:57 PM NST *breathes heavily*

novelista , December 19, 2014 4:57 PM NST LOVE Sutek's Tomb. Can't wait to play this on my tablet.

kouza , December 19, 2014 5:00 PM NST



First, it was Vinsjin, Brave Ben, and Boolin.



Then some time passed, and Vinsjin died. New Ghoul Catchers took over.



Then the Spooky Food Eating Contest happened. Vinsjin is apparently not dead.



Now THIS. Now Boolin is fired? Is Boolin dead? What's going on??? Is anyone gonna explain just what in Gnawthral's ghoulish creation is happening with the Ghoul Catchers?First, it was Vinsjin, Brave Ben, and Boolin.Then some time passed, and Vinsjin died. New Ghoul Catchers took over.Then the Spooky Food Eating Contest happened. Vinsjin is apparently not dead.Now THIS. Now Boolin is fired? Is Boolin dead? What's going on???

dave - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 5:01 PM NST Or perhaps Goparokko-esque? It's not very clear how we'll be "mixing and matching ghouls".

ricky319ufo , December 19, 2014 5:01 PM NST We got way too many match-three games on app store...at least this one looks fairly promising.

june_scarlet , December 19, 2014 5:03 PM NST I would love it if playing this game gave you rare item codes. Since I still have yet to unlock the Space Faerie as a Challenger, and get the avatar.

mewpyrochick , December 19, 2014 5:06 PM NST Looks too much like candy crush in my opinion. I really doubt this will bring in new members? I'd have much preferred a mobile app of the site :/

dave - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 5:08 PM NST



It will be nice later on down the road, though, to have some sort of "companion" app for doing the basics on Neopets, such as dailies/feeding your pet/etc. Kind of what we saw when Viacom was involved. @mewpyrochick: For some reason, a mobile version of a website that was originally designed in the late 90s/early 2000s doesn't really sound like a great idea.It will be nice later on down the road, though, to have some sort of "companion" app for doing the basics on Neopets, such as dailies/feeding your pet/etc. Kind of what we saw when Viacom was involved.

kouza , December 19, 2014 5:09 PM NST Tell you what, Jumpstart, I'll buy a mobile device just to play your Candy Catchers, if you'll make sense of the canon surrounding these characters. And no hat pulls, take me seriously, go somewhere with this. Or at least be honest and say "Ehhh, iono... viddy gaems..."

tyuio_k50 , December 19, 2014 5:17 PM NST Just to be clear, though, this likely isn't the 'app' we've been promised for so long. I think it's a safe bet to say that we still have a site-oriented app coming.

tyuio_k50 , December 19, 2014 5:20 PM NST ...Also, I think it's great that they're finally putting themselves out there! Hopefully this will attract new users, yada yada and so forth.

penguinqwert - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 5:32 PM NST Hopefully it will be a good time waster for while riding in a car, etc. I'm still waiting on a mobile version of the site for Neomail, Neoboards, Dailies, etc.

meercatristonhopets3 , December 19, 2014 5:44 PM NST - sweet artwork!

- it's an app but not /the/ app

- micropayments eww

- i dont even own a cellphone so w/e

jacangel2001 , December 19, 2014 5:47 PM NST Most definitely! I'm so excited. I've been waiting for a Neopets app for a long time. It would be nice to have one to help with your dailies, but if I can play Neopets games from my phone too that would be awesome! Plus the artwork and design look really cool.

nick - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 5:50 PM NST I hope they make Petpet versions of these guys for the exclusive item prizes. They are so cute.

kouza , December 19, 2014 5:50 PM NST @meercatristonhopets3, and anyone who doesn't own a mobile device



There's an app for that. I'm pretty sure there's nothing cheaty about it so it should be cool, but there's a program that lets you play apps on your computer as though it were a mobile device. I forget the name. Blue Something. I'm gonna look into it.



But I'm more about the weird state of the Ghoul Catchers. The canon surrounding them was already a quagmire. A new character was the LAST thing we needed. Were we lacking in female representation? No, because the New Ghoul Catchers also had a girl Catcher. It was one boy, one girl, and a ghost. Even Steven!

vishia , December 19, 2014 5:56 PM NST When there are apps, there are micro-transactions. I was hoping this would be more like Puzzle Adventure, but it looks like it won't be.. I think I'll only be okay if it's not a Free To Play app. Like, you buy the app for five bucks or something so you won't have to shelve out a buck for a life/power-ups or something.

triogo , December 19, 2014 5:57 PM NST I'm so happy to see they're releasing it for Windows Phone, thank you so much, that's everything i wanted!

vishia , December 19, 2014 5:57 PM NST Apparently, I didn't read the whole post and I see that it's already determined to be Free To Play.



Fyora help us all.

elvenfaery , December 19, 2014 6:10 PM NST Tailchaser, lol.



*ahem* I thought for a while that if thy we're going to foray into the app market with a game, it should be something completely new, like this. Because in-app purchases were inevitable (or actually paying for it, which now we know isn't the case), I think it helps keep that (essentially) clear line between free and pay that sooo many Neopians cling to.

And match three seemed all but a given. :p Fine by me, as thats mostly what I play on my phone, and variety is nice (I've only recently started candy crush, not my favorite).



I'd still prefer a mobile friendly version of the site asap, though. I don't need an app, just the ability to browse most of the site/do dailies without an external list of links, and chat on the neoboards without odd refreshes that mess everything up.

angrykyriis123 , December 19, 2014 6:37 PM NST I am! This is amazing!

elvenfaery , December 19, 2014 6:53 PM NST It's probably just the type of person I am, but I find microtransactions easy to ignore. Running out of lives/time is frustrating, but that's part of why I have so many similar games (and Bejeweled doesn't have those problems at all ;p ), and I consider it a challenge to avoid using power ups. I mean, I'd still prefer a world where they didn't exist, at least not like they do (or seem to) in the majority of games, but it is what it is.

Actually, in the year or two since I've been paying attention to how a lot of mobile games work, my appreciation for how Neopets proper handles their own microtransactions (i.e., the NC Mall) has increased. As much as some people complain it's "thrown in our faces", it's almost entirely cosmetic. Sure there are arguments to be made about the amount of paid vs free items, and consequently the "focus" of overall content, but even if all the wearables they've been cranking out were NP obtainable, the

elvenfaery , December 19, 2014 6:54 PM NST but even if all the wearables they've been cranking out were NP obtainable, there would still be a void of substantial-content that so many have been sensing.

Even with the various Fortune Cookies, Neopets is nowhere near the level of "free to play, pay to win" I've personally seen elsewhere.

degrim , December 19, 2014 6:58 PM NST I think it looks fun and it's pretty exciting, not just because of the app but I'd love to see new players coming in.

lunaxporch , December 19, 2014 7:08 PM NST *shrug* No phone,therefore no opinion.

kouza , December 19, 2014 7:09 PM NST Neopets has seen more canon reboots than DC Universe, I think.

auraichadora , December 19, 2014 7:12 PM NST Yay, an app is on the way! So pleased! ^^ I can't wait to play this; I'll just need to make sure that I have room on my tablet to play. XD

inkpot , December 19, 2014 7:23 PM NST cool. hopefully it'll bring in some new faces to neo.

reconnection , December 19, 2014 7:33 PM NST *grabbyhands*

cloonshannagh , December 19, 2014 7:41 PM NST @ kouza Thank you! Went and got the BlueStacks App Player for my PCs, so I am all ready *waits*

kouza , December 19, 2014 8:23 PM NST That's the one! BlueStacks! I've never used it, so I'm not sure of its capabilities.

doomdesire5 , December 19, 2014 8:47 PM NST And of course, I don't own a tablet or smart phone...

darknova177 , December 19, 2014 8:52 PM NST i would like to have a mobile version of the site rather than just a game app. it's still a good start though

kakorie - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 9:34 PM NST I hope there is an avatar like coco rollers!

inkpot , December 19, 2014 9:35 PM NST haha, i'm glad i'm not the only one. @doom

shadowlight17 , December 19, 2014 10:28 PM NST I was also under the impression the app was going to be a mobile version of the website itself, but this looks like it could be fun. The art is quite nice, and I enjoy this type of game. The exclusive items sound exciting as well.

rosemary2713 , December 19, 2014 10:30 PM NST I'm so excited for this app, it looks so promising, not to mention my addiction to connect-three games. Finally one that matches my true interests though c: Microtransactions don't bother me none.I'm so excited for this app, it looks so promising, not to mention my addiction to connect-three games. Finally one that matches my true interests though c:

pikachu315111 , December 19, 2014 10:36 PM NST



Sadly I don't think the game will answer things like why/how is Professor Vinsjin alive or what happened to Doctor Boolin (unless they use him as a supporting character. The game mentions buying power-ups so they could have him being the inventor of such power-ups). Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the books have been retcon. Guess we'll see when they release it. Ah, so looks like the Ghoul Catchers have become a complete expy of the Ghostbusters now. Professor Vinsjin has a Ghost Trap, Brave Ben has a Proton Pack, and Glyn has a PKE Meter.Sadly I don't think the game will answer things like why/how is Professor Vinsjin alive or what happened to Doctor Boolin (unless they use him as a supporting character. The game mentions buying power-ups so they could have him being the inventor of such power-ups). Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the books have been retcon. Guess we'll see when they release it.

kouza , December 19, 2014 10:52 PM NST Interesting note, Pikachu, the Ghostbusters also got a fourth guy. So yeah, maybe Boolin is still around. Why he's not on the cover, though, I have to wonder. If anyone's the Winston, it's Glyn.

pikachu315111 , December 19, 2014 11:00 PM NST @ kouza:

I was actually thinking about that and how they missed to have them be a complete expy of Ghostbusters by having four members:



Peter Venkman =/= Brave Ben

Raymond Stantz =/= Professor Vinsjin

Egon Spengler =/= Doctor Boolin

Winston Zeddemore =/= Glyn



I'd think that'll sorta work, more talking about general team chemistry and character traits then being complete copies.

morganjoisle , December 19, 2014 11:02 PM NST

Are there any standalone neopets games (other than the game system video-game type ones that you physically sell to people and are impossible to 100% get rid of) that have stuck around? lol

Well, I would have preferred some sort of neopets site playing app as that's what people would probably get the most use out of, but I don't really use a phone either way. Remember the last two standalone games that were released? Petpet Park and Treasure Keepers? *cough* They both ended up closed. *cough*Are there any standalone neopets games (other than the game system video-game type ones that you physically sell to people and are impossible to 100% get rid of) that have stuck around? lolWell, I would have preferred some sort of neopets site playing app as that's what people would probably get the most use out of, but I don't really use a phone either way.

dave - JN Staff , December 19, 2014 11:10 PM NST @morganjoisle: Except this is an official Neopets game (aka not an "inspired by" game like Petpet Park), and it's not run by a different company (aka not how Treasure Keepers was produced). So I'm betting this will stay around awhile longer.

zeelink , December 20, 2014 1:10 AM NST I'm very happy about this. It looks fun, and I will definitely recommend it to people because it is free to play. Hopefully they'll check out the main site too.



I just hope it's a success so that there can be a site-companion-app at some point.

duckywucky , December 20, 2014 1:15 AM NST Yes. Also for WP.

kouza , December 20, 2014 1:46 AM NST But Vinsjin is the leader! He should be Venkman!



But nah, Brave Ben has Venkman's "New York hero" swagger. And Vinsjin? Of course he collects spores!

ummy - JN Staff , December 20, 2014 1:54 AM NST Does anyone else find it odd that the word Neopets is not included in the logo for Ghoul Catchers?

girly_chalmers , December 20, 2014 2:00 AM NST Eww...a Candy Crush Saga clone? Really?



I guess they think it will get them money. It's a despicable form of monetization, though. A lot worse than how they use NC.

kouza , December 20, 2014 2:08 AM NST Oh that's right, Ummy, the Neopets logo isn't in it. But I feel like it'll be separate, or even put in later.

nick - JN Staff , December 20, 2014 2:59 AM NST Mobile games often have the company logo in the loading screen, so it would probably just have the Neopets logo there.

nick - JN Staff , December 20, 2014 3:00 AM NST It's interesting how they have simplified the logo in the app icon to just a single Neopets star.

pikachu315111 , December 20, 2014 3:08 AM NST

Yeah, I was also thinking about that but who has to say each group has to follow the same rules? As I said I paired them based on general attitudes. @ kouza:Yeah, I was also thinking about that but who has to say each group has to follow the same rules?As I said I paired them based on general attitudes.

kouza , December 20, 2014 3:22 AM NST That's an interesting way to speculate it, Pikachu. It's probably a coincidence, but Ben looks like he could be Venkmany, and Vinsjin looks like he could be Stantzy.



So let's pretend for a minute that it's not a coincidence, and that Boolin = Spengler. Now we've got a personality for Boolin.



See, the Catchers, before now, didn't have much personality to them, I think. But with them drawn so vibrantly and expressive, I'm seeing personality in them. Yes! Brave Ben looks brave! Professor Vinsjin looks like a professor! And so now, if Boolin didn't get grabbed by the ghoulies, I wanna know what his personality is like. And comparing them to the Ghostbusters is the closest I have to speculation. Therefore, until TNT tells me better, I'm gonna ponder the possibility of Boolin being a Spengler expy.

kouza , December 20, 2014 3:24 AM NST Wait, I'm confusing my Ghostbusters, I thought you were saying Boolin was Stantz, and Vinsjin was Spengler. Ehhhh... I'd switch 'em, but still, let's go with your thing.

winter_pony4 , December 20, 2014 7:05 AM NST Too bad I don't have a smartphone. I would like to play this.

unis_ruler , December 20, 2014 10:53 AM NST Since it will be on sale on Amazon Apps, I hope that means the game will work on my Kindle. Don't have a smart phone, or any type of I-pad or such, so that would be my only way to play.

kouza , December 20, 2014 11:13 AM NST @All of these people without mobile devices



You don't wanna try BlueStacks?

aurea , December 20, 2014 8:23 PM NST



I've managed to avoid putting game on my phone... not anymore. Ooh I can't wait to play itI've managed to avoid putting game on my phone... not anymore.

prinsessakawaii , December 21, 2014 1:35 AM NST Yeah... The app looks cool and all but honestly there are like 1000 apps like this :/.

cat , December 21, 2014 1:57 AM NST Are there any standalone neopets games (other than the game system video-game type ones that you physically sell to people and are impossible to 100% get rid of) that have stuck around?

---

I'm not sure I'd call old console games things that have stuck around. Yeah, if you happen to find a TDF game disk and have a PS2 lying around you can still play it, but I'm not sure it's been put on PSN so it can be played by current gen consoles, which to me is what a PS2 era game needs to have happen to have "remained current". Ditto for the Wand of Wishing game on PSP.



As far as the phone/tablet game goes it looks like they went with the safe choice. There are a lot of Match 3 games because Candy Crush, and it's a fairly easy style of game to work with and meshes well with the control system of a smartphone/tablet.



Not sure if I will get it though, don't really have a smartphone or tablet. :p

morganjoisle , December 21, 2014 9:04 AM NST

@cat: Well, if you have the old system they're still playable at least. I wouldn't call them current either when you put it that way. @kouza: Dad has bluestacks for the other game he's been addicted to since summertime and it causes as much lag on everything else open as neopets has got going now and crashes every 5 minutes. So, yeah, that hasn't been the best option for him. lol@cat: Well, if you have the old system they're still playable at least.I wouldn't call them current either when you put it that way.

elvenfaery , December 21, 2014 10:17 AM NST The safe choice-- that's the best way to put it, Cat. Would releasing it earlier have given it a better chance of standing out in the sea of these games? Quite likely, but even in 2015 it's going to have a fighting chance to float along on the current. Depending on the success of this, Jumpstart will likely make more, different style games.



Speaking of having a PS2 lying around, I really need to remember to look into finding a decent copy of The Darkest Faerie the next time I'm shopping around.

archaeopteryx , December 21, 2014 5:35 PM NST I like this style of game, so I'll definitely be getting it on my phone when it comes out, especially since I can earn nps and items on it (I assume that means it will be linked to our main accounts). I hope we'll still get an app that will let us play Neopets on our phone, but I think this is a good starting point and has potential to attract new users to the site.

burning_shadows_79 , December 21, 2014 6:29 PM NST The "ghouls" look like those little jellies in Scourge of the Lab Jellies.

aria , December 22, 2014 1:16 AM NST I love this sort of game, it makes passing time enjoyable, and if you can earn NP while doing it, why not? People will moan (as I've come to realise with Neo, someone is always moaning!) but to be honest, TNT are giving us something that looks good, has probably had a lot of time put in, and I for one am grateful.

zaygir , December 22, 2014 11:57 AM NST I love match 3 games and I do plan on downloading it.



Every time I see a match 3 game my first thought is Bejeweled. Times have changed and now everyone's first thought is candy crush, which I find that particular game to be obnoxious lol.

elvenfaery , December 22, 2014 6:01 PM NST



Seriously, I just began playing through Candy Crush, and man is it... well, obnoxious pretty much sums up all the other adjectives I could use. Give me old school Bejeweled any day. Zaygir, every word you just said could have come out of my mouth.Seriously, I just began playing through Candy Crush, and man is it... well, obnoxious pretty much sums up all the other adjectives I could use. Give me old school Bejeweled any day.

cat , December 22, 2014 9:14 PM NST @elvenfaery - good luck with that, even before Gamestop stopped carrying PS2 games I'd stopped seeing it so my guess is everyone who got it was a diehard Neopets fan who didn't want to let it go. Ditto with Wand of Wishing, even in stores that still carry PSP UMD games you don't tend to see it.



I also prefer Bejeweled, but there's no doubt Candy Crush set the tone both for what people think of as a Match 3, and for how companies approach in app purchases.

theshadowsmoon , December 23, 2014 9:26 AM NST I can't wait to try it! I love Sutek's Tomb, and it will be so cool to have the fun of that game in an NP-themed mobile app!!

elvenfaery , December 23, 2014 2:42 PM NST

Actually I gave up on the idea of finding it physically a while ago. I was thinking of looking online, but I have to be in the right mood to actually shop online. Haha, Cat, good point.Actually I gave up on the idea of finding it physically a while ago. I was thinking of looking online, but I have to be in the right mood to actually shop online.

s00536284 , December 24, 2014 8:13 AM NST I'm really excited that they are coming out with a mobile game but I do wish they would come out with a site app, if not the full site then something so I can feed my pets/check my np and stuff like that when I can't reach my laptop.

aethne , January 15, 2015 1:54 PM NST

I'm totally going to get that game app when it comes out, I'm so Neo-anything-obsessed s00536284, if you look up NeoExplorer in the Google Playstore, it's a pretty good app for doing Dailies, Bank, SDB, Stocks, Shop, BD, even some of the games; check it out!I'm totally going to get that game app when it comes out, I'm so Neo-anything-obsessed

catmagyck , January 18, 2015 11:49 PM NST I'll play but I hope that it is compatible with a galaxy. Not everyone has an iPhone lol

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