Horror games don’t work if you’re not thrilled or scared. This is the basis of every title released under the genre. Every gaming system boasts horror titles whether they are licensed properties or wholly original. Friday the 13th is one of the most infamous franchises in film history, but just about every game featuring Jason Voorhees fails to capture the magic of the movies. We are waiting for someone to finally change that.
Friday the 13th: The Game is the highly anticipated title from the game development teams Gun Media and IllFonic. These two video game studios managed to raise well over a million dollars to fund the greatest possible version of a Friday the 13th game that puts you right in the middle of the film series. The game is one of our most anticipated independent titles of the year, and we can’t wait to play it. Horror gamers and Jason fans are ready to dive headfirst into this world as soon as possible.
What Kind of Game Is This?
First and foremost, this game was created to be a multiplayer title. Friday the 13th: The Game was originally going to only be an online survival quest where you fought to kill or be killed by other players. When the Kickstarter was launched for this project, fans and backers went nuts over the concept. Now that the production has earned over seven figures, we are promised a singleplayer mode version to drop sometime after launch. This decision is a good move since there’s nothing quite like playing a good horror game alone in the dark without any outside intrusion.
Players will be able to select a character and navigate them from a third-person perspective angle. This makes perfect sense considering the objective of the game is based on a hunter versus hunted concept. You will run through the woods to either fight or flee from encounters, and in the end, hopefully, you will be the last man standing. The online multiplayer promises to be a lot of fun since you will have the opportunity to go up against other players and Friday fans from around the world. Thankfully, most gamers are already online since singleplayer won’t come until later.
It’s Time to Return to Camp Crystal Lake.
Before Friday the 13th: The Game became a reality, the only other video games based on the franchise were released in the ’80s. LJN’s version produced for the Nintendo Entertainment System is often cited as one of the worst licensed games ever made. Our feature on Friday the 13th for the NES looked at all aspects of the title to include its gameplay, content, and design. While the game isn’t exactly good, it was the only way most players could enter this world aside from those who had access to the PC version released on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and the Amstrad CPC.
Now we are finally able to visit Camp Crystal Lake in the way Friday the 13th fans have always wanted. The environments in-game will mirror many of the familiar settings from the franchise. While we may not get the opportunity to visit Manhattan in the 1980s or the vast reaches of outer space, we will be able to explore just about every nook and cranny of the dreaded Camp Blood. There’s no word if players will see environments specific to the individual films, but we can expect to come across plenty of winks and nods to many of the different movies in the series.
Choose: Camp Counselor or Jason Voorhees
This is the first game where you will actually be able to play as Jason Voorhees aside from Mortal Kombat X. While there was plenty of attention to detail and dedication to the franchise given to pitting Jason against Scorpion, the core elements of what makes the character great just weren’t there. This is the first time you can play a Friday the 13th game and hunt down camp counselors. It’s a horror enthusiast’s dream to fill the shoes of their favorite icon, and tens of thousands of Jason fans have already committed to playing this game right when it becomes available.
You will be able to select more than Jason if you choose, but the game you wind up playing will be drastically different based on your decision. The goal is to kill or be killed. You can select one of seven counselors to evade and eventually fight Jason, or you can be the man himself. As Jason, you will be hunting down all of the camp counselors until each one of them is dead. As a counselor, you will be given the chance to band together as a team and fight Jason all at once, or split up and fend for yourself. Just like the movies, you have to be on your toes or else.
“What system will this be on?”
Friday the 13th: The Game just launched their PC beta for campaign backers and select gamers in December. The testing window is now closed, but we can be sure the game will still be on track for an early 2017 release. The plan is to roll out the game in two waves of PC access followed by physical copies for PlayStation and Xbox users. Players will be able to download the game or obtain a physical copy. There will be no difference between the game formats, regardless of whether you are running the game on Steam or playing it with a console according to developers.
Early 2017 is here and already we have had our first Friday the 13th of the year. Many fans are reaching out to the game’s official social feeds, but we still have no official launch date just yet. The good news is that the game is getting closer every day, so until then, it’s just a waiting game. We are psyched to see what’s in store since it has been confirmed Jason from Parts 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 will be featured in the game. Now it’s just a matter of choosing which movie to watch while we wait and can finally play the game ourselves.
