Night Trap
From Sega Retro
Night Trap (ナイトトラップ) is a Sega Mega-CD full-motion video interactive film developed by Digital Pictures and published by Sega. It is a port of the unreleased Hasbro Control-Vision interactive film of the same name. It was first released in the United States in November 1992 as a launch title for the Sega CD and later received a port to the Sega Mega-CD 32X in January 1995.
Most notable for the moral panic which arose from ignorance over the game's content, and the subsequent 1993 congressional hearings on video games which threatened federal regulation of the game industry, Night Trap is one of the most controversial games in history. Along with Mortal Kombat, it is largely responsible for the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Contents
Story
The Sega Control Attack Team[fn 1] (S.C.A.T.) is investigating the lakeshore winery estate of the Martin family, where five teenagers who were invited to stay the night recently disappeared. An undercover operation has found that the Martin residence is equipped with an elaborate security system including numerous concealed traps and security cameras, operated from the house's basement. A S.C.A.T. agent has spliced an override cable into the security system to give S.C.A.T. remote control over the traps and cameras. Five more teenagers have been invited to the house by the Martins, including an undercover S.C.A.T. agent, Kelli Medd. S.C.A.T.'s mission is to protect these new visitors and find out what happened to the missing teenagers.
Characters
Gameplay
The game is an interactive movie. It is depicted using full-motion video in the style of a "B movie" horror film. The player takes the role of a S.C.A.T. agent (called "control" by the other agents) who is tasked by Lt. Simms to watch over a group of teenagers visiting a house that is infested with vampiric creatures known as "Augers" (so called because they use a drill-like device to extract blood from their victims). The group includes four teenage girls (Lisa, Ashley, Cindy, and Megan), one boy (Danny), and an undercover S.C.A.T. agent (Kelli). The house is owned by a married vampire couple consisting of Victor and Sheila Martin, and its residents include their two children, Jeff and Sarah, and a cousin, Tony. The goal of the game is to use the traps in the house to capture as many Augers as possible, while avoiding trapping Kelli, any other S.C.A.T. agents, or the house guests. The game ends after about 25 minutes but contains more than 90 minutes of footage across two discs. There are multiple endings depending on which characters the player successfully saves from the Augers.
The house contains security cameras that are placed in eight different locations: the entryway, living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, driveway, and two hallways. The locations are shown as icons on the bottom of the screen, and the player can switch between areas at any time by using the D-Pad to select an area and pressing 
on the selected area to view it. The cameras show what is currently happening in each area via full-motion video, so the player can switch areas to catch Augers or to watch scenes play out between the characters that progress the plot of the game. Scenes often happen in multiple locations simultaneously, so it is not possible to view everything in a single playthrough (but it is possible, though difficult, to capture every Auger). The time elapsed is shown in a timer on the bottom of the screen, and the videos that play in each area over the course of the night follow a script according to the current time (so the player can learn when events happen and plan the night accordingly). The timer starts as the introduction to the game is played. A counter showing how many Augers could have been captured so far ("Possible") and a counter showing how many Augers actually have been captured ("Captured") appear near the timer. A popping sound plays when the player misses an opportunity to catch an Auger. There is a map showing how the rooms are connected that can be accessed by pressing START (which also pauses the game).
Each room of the house contains traps, which are activated using a secret color code. The player can capture Augers or any other enemy by watching the room that the enemy is in, waiting for the enemy to come in range of one of the room's traps (indicated by a sensor bar), then pressing 
to activate the trap. The sensor bar is initially green but turns red (the smallest sliver of the bar) as the enemies walk near a trap. If the sensor bar is red and the color code is correct, a video clip plays where the trap activates and captures the enemies. Otherwise, the trap does not activate, and the trigger is briefly locked out. The color code is always blue at the start of the game, but the Martins change it to a randomly selected color (blue, green, orange, purple, red, or yellow) at four points during a game. The player must listen in on certain conversations to learn the new code when it changes, then change the code by pressing 
after one of the Martins has entered the basement to change it.
Endings
There are 95 Augers in total to capture; the player must capture at least 60 to be able to reach the end of the game. To get a perfect ending, the player must capture all 95 Augers, all of the Martins, and Tony. Getting disconnected from S.C.A.T. or losing control of the cameras and traps to the Martins results in a game over.
S.C.A.T. disconnects the player (ending the game) if any of the following happens:
- The timer reaches 08:47 and the "Captured" counter is less than 10.
- An Auger going after Lisa is not trapped in time.
- The timer reaches 13:42 and the "Captured" counter is less than 29.
- An Auger going after Ashley is not trapped in time.
- An Auger going after Megan is not trapped in time.
- The player activates a trap resulting in Megan's death.
- The timer reaches 20:08 and the "Captured" counter is less than 60.
The Martins regain control of the cameras and traps if any of the following happens:
- Tony is not trapped before he can get to Kelli and take her into the basement.
- Jeff stops Cindy from being hounded by Augers before the player can trap a specific Auger and bites Cindy.
Five different endings can be reached if at least 60 Augers are captured, four of the girls (Lisa, Ashley, Cindy, and Megan) are saved from Augers, and Kelli is saved from Tony:
- Bad ending: Kelli is bitten by Sarah. This ending is played if the player fails to capture Sarah in time.
- Bad ending: Kelli is bitten by Victor. This ending is played if the player successfully captures Sarah, but fails to capture Victor in time.
- Bad ending: Kelli is bitten by Shelia. This ending is played if the player successfully captures Sarah, but fails to capture Shelia in time.
- "Very Good" ending: Kelli thanks the player for saving her and says the player was "very good" since the player saved her friends but only captured "most" of the Augers. She then says that with "a little practice" the player can be "perfect." An Auger rises from behind her as she exits the scene. This ending is played if the player successfully captures Sarah, Victor, and Shelia, but only captures 60-94 Augers.
- "Perfect" ending: Kelli says that the player was "perfect" and thanks the player. Kelli walks near a trap as she exits the scene. This ending is played if the player successfully captures all 95 Augers and captures Sarah, Victor, and Shelia.
Areas
There are eight areas, and the player can switch between them at any time.
The times for some noteworthy scenes are given for each area (but it is not an exhaustive list of every scene). The disc needs to be changed around the 14-minute mark.
Hallway 1
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The downstairs hallway, going between the Entry Way and the Kitchen.
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Kitchen
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The kitchen, which includes a refrigerator that the Martins suspiciously keep locked.
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Entry Way
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The foyer at the entrance to the house, which leads to the Living Room and the Kitchen as well as to the staircase.
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Living Room
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The living room.
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Bathroom
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The upstairs bathroom, shared by the guests.
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Bedroom
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The guest bedroom.
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Hallway 2
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The upstairs hallway, which leads to the Bedroom and the Bathroom.
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Driveway
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The driveway outside the house and the front door. The game starts here.
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History
Development
Night Trap was initially produced for the Control-Vision (codenamed NEMO), an unreleased console by Hasbro which relied on VHS tapes instead of ROM cartridges. A prototype game titled Scene of the Crime was produced to demonstrate the surveillance camera gameplay that would later be a core part of Night Trap. Hasbro abandoned the console fearing its high retail price, and sold the rights to the game to Digital Pictures, which set about producing a Mega-CD version. Despite the sale, Hasbro still owned the Night Trap trademark.[13] The footage was originally recorded during a three-week period in 1987 in Culver City, California. The game reportedly cost $1.5 million to produce.
When development of Night Trap moved to the Mega-CD, Digital Pictures shot an introduction scene and five game over scenes that referenced Sega and the controller used with the Mega-CD. These sequences would only be used with the Night Trap versions that were published by Sega.
As with Sewer Shark and later Prize Fighter, Night Trap uses a system in which four video streams are streamed off a disc at any one time, allowing for transitions between choices without the need for intrusive disc access times. This is achieved through a proprietary video codec developed by Digital Pictures, although a side effect is noticeably low resolution footage (in addition to the already present colour loss).
Footage of Tom Zito demonstrating early Scene of the Crime footage to Hasbro executives in December 1986 was included as a hidden bonus in the Mega-CD version of the game.
Release
1993 congressional hearings on video games
A horror-camp B movie with interactive elements, ignorance over Night Trap's actual content fueled an increasing American moral panic over violence in games played by children, and the game's subsequent "controversy" has been identified as the primary reason for the infamous 1993–94 United States Senate hearings on video games. While the hearings have been seen from a modern perspective as largely baseless (with the notable majority of attending congresspeople being significantly misinformed or willfully ignorant of the game itself), there was one objective point on which both congresspeople and game industry representatives largely agreed: Night Trap was originally sold without an age rating, something congress would use to threaten the games industry with federal regulation. Faced with this prospect, Sega, Nintendo, and other notable video game companies quickly banded together to establish the ESRB.
Night Trap' lacks any kind of graphic violence whatsoever, and was even produced specifically to mitigate any controversy; in particular, where a normal horror B movie might have copious amounts of on-screen blood and gore, Night Trap instead features antagonists which slay their victims with a comically-large and abstractly-designed "screw machine". Likewise, in an apparent attempt to use the hearings as a means to fear-monger the game industry in general, stories of sexual content were outright invented, and a scene in which a character happens to be wearing a nightgown was cited as proof of the game's sexual debauchery; in reality, Night Trap contains no sexual content.
Further illustrating the disconnect between what congress believed the game contained and what it actually contained, they claimed Night Trap allowed players to kill and murder in-game characters in graphic detail. This point seems to have also been invented by the attending congresspeople, as Night Trap also does not contain any content even close to this in tone; at this point in the hearings, congress had begun describing the nearly child-friendly B-horror movie game with the same language and derision one would describe a snuff film.
In humorous contrast to the firestorm of moral controversy generated in the United States, England's British Board of Film Classification simply described it as "more like an old episode of Doctor Who"[14] and rated it a standard 15.[15]
Post-congressional hearings
Night Trap was the first game to be given an MA-17 rating by Sega's Videogame Rating Council[16], although it is not thought any versions of the game were explicitly labeled as such. Some retailers chose to add their own notices for "violent" content, or indeed not stock the game at all due to the controversy.
Due to the problems Night Trap and violent video game content was causing in the US, Sega of America stopped distributing the version of the game they published in January 1994.[17] A Mega-CD version published by Digital Pictures itself and distributed by Acclaim was released in 1995. It had an ESRB "M" rating, new cover art, and no Sega-related references in-game.
Press coverage of Night Trap is said to have led to a greater interest in the game than was otherwise expected, leading to increased sales and numerous other FMV games being released for the next few years.
To mitigate controversy in the UK, Sega voluntarily referred Night Trap to the British Board of Film Classification[15], becoming the first video game to be rated by the body[14]. Despite expectations that it would be rating 18, it received a 15 certificate[15], with the BBFC's James Ferman claiming it was "more like an old episode of Doctor Who"[14].
This did not stop complaints, such as mother of three Jacqueline Nicholls organising a protest after her 9, 11 and 12-year old children witnessed scenes of the game on a shopping trip[18]. Her local MP Tony Marlow subsequently wrote to the Home Secretary and Trading Standards[18], although no further action is believed to have been taken.
The game was completely banned from sale in Germany[19].
Legacy
Despite the controversy caused by its existence, sales of Night Trap were strong enough for Digital Pictures to port the game to other systems, such as the 3DO, DOS, and Macintosh computers. It was also released as one of six Mega-CD 32X games.
Hasbro's Night Trap trademark expired on January 5, 2002.[13]
In 2017, Screaming Villains digitally re-released the game with higher quality video as Night Trap 25th Anniversary Edition for Steam and the PlayStation 4. Limited Run Games produced physical copies of the PlayStation 4 version, including a "Collector's Edition."[20] This version was remade from the ground up with restored film footage and includes an overlay designed to mimic the Mega-CD version. It does not contain the S.C.A.T. scenes used in the Mega-CD version published by Sega. Screaming Villains has stated that their exclusion was due to Sega owning those specific scenes.[21] Though the original game received an "M" rating from the ESRB when it was re-released for the Mega-CD, the remake received a "T" rating.[22]
In 2018, the remake was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Vita, with physical copies of both versions being made available by Limited Run Games.[23] Many commentators noted the irony of the Switch version as Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln had famously told the Senate committee, "Night Trap will never appear on a Nintendo system. Obviously it would not pass our guidelines."[24]
Production credits
- Main article: Night Trap/Production credits.
Digital manuals
Mega Drive Mini 2 US manual
Mega Drive Mini 2 EU manual
Mega Drive Mini 2 JP manual
Magazine articles
- Main article: Night Trap/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
- Main article: Night Trap/Promotional material.
Physical scans
Mega-CD version
| Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
 |
80 |
|---|---|
| Based on 36 reviews | |
| Mega-CD, JP |
|---|
  Box |
 Spinecard  Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, US |
|---|
  Box |
 Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, US (MA-17) |
|---|
 Box |
| Mega-CD, US (rerelease) |
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  Box |
 Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, US (rerelease; sticker) |
|---|
 Box |
| Mega-CD, EU |
|---|
  Box |
 Spinecard  Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, UK |
|---|
   Box |
Disc 1 Disc 2 Manual |
| Mega-CD, FR |
|---|
  Box |
 Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, FR (Blister pack) |
|---|
 Box |
| Mega-CD, PT |
|---|
  Box |
Disc 1 Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD, BR |
|---|
   Box |
Disc 1 Disc 2  Manual |
Mega-CD 32X version
| Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
 |
65 |
|---|---|
| Based on 12 reviews | |
| Mega-CD 32X, US |
|---|
 Cover |
 Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual  Reg card  Merchandise order form Catalog Temporary tattoo |
| Mega-CD 32X, EU |
|---|
  Box |
 Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual |
| Mega-CD 32X, AU |
|---|
 |
Disc 1 Disc 2 Manual |
Technical information
- Main article: Night Trap/Technical information.
External links
- The Making Of Night Trap, The World's Most Famous Video Game Nasty article by Damien McFerran at Nintendo Life
Footnotes
- ↑ Called "Sega Control Attack Team" by Simms in the original, Sega-published release but "Special Control Attack Team" by Simms in the Digital Pictures re-release and by Kelli in all versions. The latter is also used in all versions of the game for non-Sega platforms.
References
- ↑ File:NightTrap MCD JP Box Back.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/mega-cd/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-06-22 19:24)
- ↑ Sega Visions, "November/December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 93
- ↑ GamePro, "December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 65
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=vypUfjzMwlAC&pg=PA36
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Next Generation, "Premiere Issue 1995" (US; 1994-12-08), page 56
- ↑ File:DailyEcho UK 1993-07-22 16.jpg
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-15), page 18
- ↑ Mega, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-18), page 26
- ↑ Video Game, "Outubro 1993" (BR; 1993-xx-xx), page 6
- ↑ Jogos Vídeo, "Ano 1 Número 2: Dezembro de 1993" (PT; 1993-1x-xx), page 11
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Mega, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-30), page 20
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Night Trap Trademark Status
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Mega Action, "July 1993" (UK; 1993-06-17), page 6
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Sega Power, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-05), page 74
- ↑ Electronic Games, "December 1993" (US; 1993-11-23), page 46
- ↑ Sega Visions, "April/May 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 15
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Edge, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 15
- ↑ MAN!AC, "11/93" (DE; 1993-xx-xx), page 50
- ↑ https://www.gematsu.com/2017/04/night-trap-25th-anniversary-edition-announced-ps4-xbox-one (Wayback Machine: 2025-11-12 13:21)
- ↑ Response: "Those scenes I'm not allowed to add unfortunately. Sega owns them."
- ↑ https://kotaku.com/25-years-later-disgusting-night-trap-is-incredibly-tam-1797864067 (Wayback Machine: 2025-11-12 14:42)
- ↑ https://www.shacknews.com/article/104490/watch-out-behind-you-night-trap-25th-anniversary-edition-is-headed-to-switch (Wayback Machine: 2023-03-19 01:56)
- ↑ https://www.polygon.com/2018/4/20/17263846/nintendo-night-trap-howard-lincoln-congress/ (Wayback Machine: 2025-12-03 08:54)
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "December 1993" (JP; 1993-11-08), page 26
- ↑ Consoles +, "Mars 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 120
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-15), page 70
- ↑ DIGITISER, "1993-08-09"
- ↑ Dragon, "Vol. XVIII, No. 2: July 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 60
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 36
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "1" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 122
- ↑ Weekly Famitsu, "1993-11-26" (JP; 1993-11-12), page 39
- ↑ Freak, "11/93" (IL; 1993-xx-xx), page 1
- ↑ Freak, "12/93" (IL; 1993-xx-xx), page 1
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 1, Issue 3: January 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 11
- ↑ Game Power, "Giugno 1993" (IT; 1993-0x-xx), page 62
- ↑ GamePro, "December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 64
- ↑ GamesMaster, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-19), page 27
- ↑ Hippon Super, "January 1994" (JP; 1993-12-03), page 38
- ↑ Joypad, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 124
- ↑ Joypad, "Juin 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 84
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-04-29), page 52
- ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "February 1994" (JP; 1994-01-08), page 67
- ↑ Mega, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-18), page 40
- ↑ Mega Force, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 66
- ↑ Mega Fun, "11/92" (DE; 1992-10-xx), page 31
- ↑ MegaTech, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-23), page 72
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-26), page 60
- ↑ Player One, "Mars 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 100
- ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, July 31, 1993" (UK; 1993-07-31), page 1
- ↑ Power Unlimited, "Nummer 2, September 1993" (NL; 1993-08-19), page 61
- ↑ Sega Power, "July 1993" (UK; 1993-06-03), page 54
- ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-08), page 28
- ↑ Sega Zone, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-xx), page 30
- ↑ Sega Force, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-06), page 64
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
- ↑ Sonic the Comic, "12th June 1993" (UK; 1993-06-12), page 12
- ↑ Super Juegos, "Septiembre 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 108
- ↑ Tricks, "4/95" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 27
- ↑ Video Games, "9/93" (DE; 1993-08-25), page 41
- ↑ Consoles +, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 152
- ↑ Electronic Games, "May 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 83
- ↑ FLUX, "Issue #4" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 1
- ↑ FLUX, "Issue #4" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 46
- ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 62
- ↑ Mega Force, "Été 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 97
- ↑ Next Generation, "May 1995" (US; 1995-04-18), page 93
- ↑ Player One, "Juin 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 100
- ↑ Sega Power, "May 1995" (UK; 1995-03-16), page 53
- ↑ Sega Megazone, "August 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 29
- ↑ VideoGames, "May 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 77
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