I’ve always found old horror films tremendously entertaining. When my grandmother, my mother, and I struggled for something to watch, returning to the old classics like JAWS or one of the Friday the 13th films was just another Saturday without the box office. So, when I realized Illfonic was working with Gun Interactive to make another asymmetrical horror title, but this time based on the mythical Michael Myers (not Shrek) in Halloween: The Game, I knew I had to see what lurks in the shadows in Illfonic’s latest offering.
It turns out Halloween: The Game is more asymmetrical horror, for better or worse. What Illfonic and Gun Interactive bring to the table is another tried-and-true, faithful romp through a horror license, retelling the mythos, and bringing a 70s slasher film to the 2020s in an interactive multiplayer title that has some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Halloween: The Game is a fun horror title, but don’t expect it to change the formula more than just “now it’s Halloween’s turn.”
Halloween: The Game revamps the way these games show you the ropes, and it’s a welcome addition to get up and running. Halloween: The Game gives fans a six-episode story mode to play through, and it acts as a tutorial on how to move as Michael. The first episode sees Michael don a patient robe, and as his sedative wears off, you as the player slowly regain access to his movement and behaviours.
“Halloween: The Game is a fun horror title, but don’t expect it to change the formula more than just ‘now it’s Halloween’s turn.’”
This is a novel way to introduce gameplay, and Halloween: The Game rolls out the red carpet with evil’s origin story. They say the devil’s in the details, and throughout all six chapters the story is broken into encapsulating the evil origins of Myers, and introducing all the moving pieces in his story starting with his sister Judith, whom he murdered at the age of six. As a Halloween fan, this game called and I answered.
Not to mention, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, this horror title follows the canonical events of the film closely, down to the names of the survivors. As a survivor, players can embody Dr. Loomis (with luck), Lynda Van Der Klok and even Laurie Strode (unfortunately, without the likeness of Jamie Lee Curtis). The animation quality, sound production, and all the moving pieces in Halloween: The Game operate exactly as intended and are top notch. As Michael Myers, you can pick up a catalogue of tools found in a Home Depot catalogue to stalk prey with, and like other asymmetrical horror titles, as the survivors you must run and escape.
Unlike The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween: The Game returns to a 1 vs all (or 1 vs 4) affair, letting the title be a true cat-and-mouse hunt. Four survivors (each with different stats and talents) have to work together to either subdue Michael, or escape. Where Halloween: The Game impresses with its lighting tricks, intense graphics, and excellent cutscenes, it falls short in gameplay innovation, starting with the survivors.
Like every other asymmetrical horror title starting with Friday the 13th, each survivor operates relatively the same (albeit, aside from changes in gait, etc), just with a different coat of paint and different stat numbers that tell you who is better at dialing numbers on a phone.
The same goes for the “character perks,’ as they’re all situational. Interestingly enough, Illfonic deployed some choice achievements to go along with the film happenings, and sure enough, Laurie can stab Michael in the eye and incapacitate him for a long period. This hearkens back to the scene in the film where Jamie Lee Curtis stabs him in the 1978 film and is an excellent callback for fans.
“Where Halloween: The Game impresses with its lighting tricks, intense graphics, and excellent cutscenes, it falls short in gameplay innovation, starting with the survivors.”
But Halloween: The Game falls short in the same way that all asymmetrical horror does, that it has a formula that can’t be denied and gameplay that can’t ever be perfect. Each multiplayer match boils down to who calls the cops, incapacitates Michael, and escapes. Or if you’re Michael, whether you can eliminate everyone before that time. Seeing as how the entire multiplayer map selection is based on four Haddonfield maps (where the film was set), locations can feel stale quicker than imagined.
The same issues occurred in Gun Interactive’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While beat by beat gameplay is exhilarating, and there were times I could feel my heartbeat in my earhole (especially during a daring escape), each game relies heavily on who is in the room playing, and that adds yet another variable to a multiplayer title that can’t seemingly get enough. This means matches could be thrown by a player grieving, and this has happened to me in game before, and it wasn’t officially out yet.
Not only that, but there were also constant issues while playing as Michael or a survivor, with basic functionality often feeling janky and environmental interactions failing to work properly. On multiple occasions, I could not cut the phone wires to houses, making it much harder to play effectively as Michael. As a survivor, I would often clip into faulty doors, which feels especially bad when you are running from the literal boogeyman. Many of these same frustrations were present in Gun Interactive’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre at launch, but the developer notably addressed them over time and ultimately created a better gameplay experience.
“I love the Halloween franchise, and when Halloween: The Game is good, it’s fantastic.”
However, Gun Interactive is involved again with Halloween: The Game, and many of the rough edges it spent two years smoothing out in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre should have received more time and attention here. Instead, this developer collaboration has launched a multiplayer-focused title with a significant number of performance problems and glitches that are difficult to overlook.
When everything lines up and you have the right group of players, Halloween: The Game can be incredible. Unfortunately, that will not always be the case, and when things go wrong, the game can feel more frustrating than trying to put Michael Myers down for good.
Halloween: The Game is an awesome development, and a solid game. Illfonic and Gun Interactive’s focus on bringing the boogeyman to asymmetrical horror works like a charm, and as Michael Myers, you can inspire true terror and pull off some seriously wicked executions. The sound work is top notch, and Haddonfield looks good down to the wrinkles on Dr. Loomis’s forehead.
Where the game falls short is the lack of fixes general gameplay has received, and I played up until launch day. General gameplay issues like janky doorways, an environment that infringes on movement when it shouldn’t, and items that can’t be functioned with; stacked on top of a shifting frame rate that shuffles the deck when it feels like it, is a recipe for disaster when playing a multiplayer focused title and Michael Myers is enough to deal with.
It’s worth noting Gun Interactive did intense work on their previous title after launch, making it always play well, but this somehow makes the mistakes at launch feel worse. I love the Halloween franchise, and when Halloween: The Game is good, it’s fantastic. But, Halloween: The Game is only an easy recommendation to diehards of the horror franchise until functionality feels better.
