Wield The Power Of Scrooge And His Ghost Army In This Christmas Metroidvania That's Out Now

The festive season is almost upon us, and for anyone dreading yet another retelling of A Christmas Carol, perhaps this interactive twist on the Charles Dickens story will change your mind. A sequel to the public domain novel, Ebenezer and the Invisible World pits the infamous grouch against the wealthy industrialist Caspar Malthus and his militant Private Guard in this 2D metroidvania adventure. It's out now, and buying it through Fanatical will earn you a free mystery gift game as well.

Scrooge is no slouch in the combat department after his life-changing experience in the original book, but when he needs to even the odds, he can summon ghosts to assist him in combat. Who knew that being forced to confront your past, present, and future could transform you into a monster-killing machine?

Each phantom has unique abilities that can be used to explore the darkest corners of London and repel the more malevolent entities roaming the streets. Trapeze artists Rose and Flossie Reed, mountaineer Victoria Peak, professor of time and space Haley Hall, and many other spooks will be able to give Scrooge a hand in his battle against Malthus.

Visually, the game looks like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night with a Christmas overhaul. All of the impressive art is hand-drawn and features frame-by-frame coloring and animations, and until Konami remembers that its Castlevania franchise has gone years without a proper entry, it looks like it'll fill that gap for stylish combat and gothic areas to explore.

The game is available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Switch, in case you feel like getting an early start on the end-of-year festivities.