FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE GAME
Slaughter is the best medicine
Press q to Jason? Well, almost… Instead, maybe try grabbing a summer camp counsellor with p and raising them into the air before punching their heart out and peering through the gaping hole in their chest? As movie adaptations go, the adventures of ultimate murderous mummy’s boy Jason Voorhees might seem 20 years too late, but this Kickstartered asymmetrical multiplayer gorefest feels right on time.
Like any hokey horror movie, Friday The 13th is best enjoyed with a group of friends pretending they’re not scared. You can play with strangers, but jumping into a private lobby with mates and being dropped into a moonlit summer camp as either a soon-tobe-hapless victim or the hockey-masked killer1 is both hideously enjoyable and surprisingly deep. Instead of just wandering around until you find someone, Jason has abilities that unlock the more frightened his potential victims become. Sense indicates the cabins where counsellors might be hiding – whispering to each other to avoid being detected by the inspired chat system – while Shift lets you cover distances at speed.
The counsellors aren’t just victims either. The more you play, the more character tropes and perks unlock to give you a better chance of survival. The only downside to the experience is that currently there are more than a few bugs that need fixing. They’re easy to overlook as you try out your latest Jason kill or direct your own mini horror movie2 as you watch the survivors attempt to flee, but glitchy problems lurk in the dark. Once these are sorted, though, killing your friends has never been so much fun. Ch, ch, ch… Louise Blain