Halloween

Halloween is an interactive Google Doodle game where you help Momo, a first-year cat student at Magic Cat Academy, fight ghosts that have invaded her school. Instead of using normal attack buttons, you defeat each ghost by drawing the symbol shown above it. The idea is easy to understand, but later stages require much faster and more accurate spell drawing.

About Halloween

Google released Halloween on October 31, 2016. The story follows Momo as ghosts invade Magic Cat Academy and steal the master spellbook. Players must clear the school by casting the correct spells before the ghosts reach Momo.

The character was inspired by a real black cat named Momo belonging to Google Doodler Juliana Chen. Google originally experimented with several different game ideas before settling on the magical-school setting.

Play and read about the official Halloween 2016 Doodle

Players looking for more browser titles can also visit Prothotts Live Game.

Halloween Gameplay

Ghosts move toward Momo with symbols displayed above their heads. Draw the matching shape to cast a spell and remove that ghost.

The biggest mistake is waiting until a ghost is already close before checking its symbol. Looking at the next few enemies early gives you more time to draw each spell correctly.

Google explains that quick and accurate spell casting is the key to surviving the ghost invasion.

Controls

Use the mouse to draw spell symbols on desktop.

On phones and tablets, draw the same shapes directly on the touchscreen.

The controls remain simple throughout the game. Difficulty comes from recognizing and drawing several symbols quickly as more ghosts appear.

Halloween Ghosts And Spells

Each ghost carries one or more symbols that tell you which spell to cast.

Basic ghosts can be removed with a single shape, while harder encounters require faster combinations. This becomes especially important when several ghosts approach Momo at once.

A useful habit is to draw clearly rather than rushing every movement. A slightly slower accurate shape is often better than repeating a badly drawn spell.

Halloween Levels And Progression

Halloween contains five main levels set around Magic Cat Academy:

• Library
• Cafeteria
• Classroom
• Gym
• Rooftop

Google designed different enemies and visual ideas around these locations, including concepts such as chef ghosts and school-themed spirits.

Each new area increases the pressure. By the later stages, watching several approaching ghosts at once becomes more important than focusing only on the closest enemy.

Who Created Halloween?

Halloween was created by the Google Doodle Team.

Google credits artists Olivia When, Juliana Chen, Kevin Laughlin, Leon Hong and Kevin Burke, along with engineers Kris Hom, Jacob Howcroft, Mark Ivey and Will Knowles. The wider production team also included My-Linh Le, Perla Campos, Brian Kaas and Ryan Germick.

Google also published a behind-the-scenes account explaining Momo’s story and how players use drawn symbols to cast spells.

Read Google’s Magic Cat Academy development story

Why Momo Became The Main Character

Momo was based on an actual black cat rather than being created only as a generic Halloween character.

The choice fits naturally with the game’s magical-school setting, but black cats also have a long connection with Halloween imagery. Smithsonian collections include early Halloween decorations featuring black cats alongside witches, pumpkins and other familiar seasonal symbols.

See Halloween objects from the Smithsonian’s collections

Games Like Halloween

Players who enjoy Halloween may also like other Google Doodle games based on quick reactions, simple controls and short levels.

What separates Magic Cat Academy from a normal action game is its drawing mechanic. You do not simply press the same attack button repeatedly. Every enemy tells you which movement must be drawn before it can be defeated.

This keeps the controls simple while still making later stages demanding.

About This Game

Halloween becomes noticeably harder once several ghosts appear with different symbols.

Trying to clear enemies in random order usually creates unnecessary pressure. It is better to watch which ghost is closest, recognize its symbol and then immediately prepare for the next threat.

The game also uses familiar Halloween ideas such as ghosts, magic and black cats. The Library of Congress explains that modern Halloween developed from a mixture of older Celtic traditions and later Christian observances surrounding All Hallows and All Souls.

Read the Library of Congress Halloween history guide

Related Categories

Halloween fits naturally into:

• Google Doodle Games
• Arcade Games
• Action Games
• Halloween Games
• Ghost Games
• Magic Games
• Single-Player Games

The game uses Halloween imagery mainly as a playful setting rather than trying to become a frightening horror game. That makes the focus more about reaction speed, drawing accuracy and clearing each school area.

More Google Doodle Games

Google has produced many interactive Doodles based on holidays, culture, sports and historical events.

Halloween 2016 became important enough for Google to feature it again in May 2020 as part of its series bringing back popular interactive Doodle games.

Magic Cat Academy also gave Google a recurring character in Momo, who later returned in other Halloween-themed Doodles. The original 2016 game remains a particularly simple place to start because its entire challenge is built around one clear idea: recognize the symbol, draw the spell and protect Momo before the ghosts reach her.