Friday the 13th: The Game REVIEW

After years of beta-testing and development; Developers Gun Media & illFonic have finally released what could possibly be the most fan-made, horror concentric video game of all time. Taking elements of games such as Evolve, where players are placed in a lobby with one sole character as the antagonist (in this case the infamous bastard of child Jason Voorhees). I gotta say as a fanatic of the slasher-genre, the Friday the 13th series has got to be the most renown known thriller franchise on the face of this Earth, I'd say just domestically (United States) but with so many references internationally of killers with hockey masks, the fandom cannot be underestimated. Anyways with such a large fan-base, the inevitability on a modern-interactive take was bound to happen; heck I myself had a game concept years back, where you take on the role of Jason and a Counselor(s) in first-person, the game would have been quite story focused and push the limits of the rating system.

Player Roster

Unfortunately my Friday the 13th game has yet to be made, but fortunately for all of us we have this indie kick-starter to pass the time till then. Pick and unlock several of the key customizable characters in the game, That's right there's customization for in the game, but not just the campers, Jason Voorhees also has certain attributes that can be added to his skill-tree, as well as different versions of him labeled as parts, that can be unlocked through leveling-up. So enjoy the climb in the leader-boards gathering credit points, because the game is whether you like it or not, always online until a promised story is added later on.

That's right, there is no story yet. The developers say additions such as a campaign, characters, and more areas will be implemented into the game as free DLC for the days to come. Part of me likes to think this is simply the latest of developer-strategies; where a game is released on purpose with the intention of releasing more content to further keep players immersed in their titles. However, this is an indie title we're referring to here, so either this was an intended choice from the publishers or a sudden financial decision.
As insanely fun as Friday the 13th is, the final result is by far squeaky-clean. The video game is filled with bugs and glitches galore, that can be easily looked passed when playing the game until sudden hiccups interrupt your play experience. On the upside I'm not sure how the servers are on other platforms; but on PC be prepared to have quick, communicative lobby experiences, which is great because communication is key for either surviving, fleeing, or even killing the persistent undead-maniac Jason Voorhees. Speaking of Jason he is by far the best enjoyment of the game, the amount of powers given to you is plentiful, with the added explanation as to how its possible for Jason to move around so quickly in the movies. I'm not sure if this is cannon or not, but either way makes the gaming experience fun as hell. Well now for the moment of truth [the score] as much as I would love to give this game 5/5 stars, I cannot let my bias-ism be the final decision here... actually yes I can. That is why although this game isn't perfect, a little bit fanaticism is going to slip into the final rating. Fingers-crossed that the planned DLC will keep this game alive, or hopefully even spark another fan-made kick starter in the realm of this genre, perhaps as a suggestion, a Nightmare on Elm Street spin-off or even a Child's Play, heck I'd even take a Halloween Michael Myers!

Update: So it's been awhile since I gave my opinions on this title, but some time has passed and although I still stay firm on final score, I would amiss if I didn't add that I still log into this game every time and again. Problems still persists the game; what with bugs and the game geometry, however, emotes have since then been implemented and the community is still vibrant and growing.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Tips & Tricks:

• spend a few matches learning 
• buy a mic and talk to coordinate
• YouTube videos may prove helpful
• don't waste time, get in and get out of cabins
• use the environment to your advantage
• get the game on PC, free servers
• team up with me on STEAM, add L3GNAA