‘Friday the 13th: The Game’: A Gory but Glitchy Good Time
It’s been a while since we last returned to Camp Crystal Lake and with the latest Friday the 13th movie on an indefinite hold, Gun Media kindly stepped in with a one-way ticket to the iconic location.
Sadly, I should have gotten off in Haddonfield, instead.
Trying to start off on a positive note, Friday the 13th: The Game isn’t really a bad game. Just one that needs a lot of polish. Glitchy, buggy, and initially impossible to play thanks to server issues — it didn’t start out as the big, triumphant return of Jason Voorhees I expected.
The game plays out like an adult hide-and-seek. A team of counselors run around a moderately-sized map finding items, completing objectives, and hiding from Camp Crystal Lake’s resident mascot. It’s a decent setup but really requires some refinement and variety, especially as each of the three movie locations have the same basic objectives and look relatively similar.
Mild success is achieved with the option to play as ‘ole Voorhees. A gaggle of abilities, like warping to a spot on the map or silencing the approach music heard by counselors, give Jason some funky tricks while unlockable kills amp up the diversity of violence. As you level up, you unlock other versions of Jason, each sporting unique perks, an iconic look, and a new weapon. but good luck getting the opportunity behind the hockey mask to even enjoy them.
In a full match of eight players, you have just over a 12% chance of controlling Jason, so expect far more time spent running than as the ability-laden killer.
And when the die do finally roll in your favor, glitches galore tend to arrive to hinder your killing spree. In fact, the game’s abundance of bugs and awkward camera angles mar Friday the 13th the most, often resulting in game-breaking clipping.
That’s not to say playing as a counselor is a complete, unoriginal snooze-fest. Though they’re clunky to control, as you level up, you can unlock new counselors and customize their apparel and perks. It’s not a lot, but, as they say, “it’s something.” But the real draw of these defenseless fodder is successfully using traps and weaponry to stop Voorhees in his tracks.
As if being completely exposed in Crystal Lake wasn’t bad enough, Gun Media makes perfect use of Jason’s theme and ambient music to increase tension.
And Be careful how loud you talk to your teammates in game chat — Jason can hear you.
If you’re going to survive in Camp Crystal Lake, you’ll either need to be clever or play as a team. While the game’s awful clipping lost me a shotgun, a pocketknife, objective-important items, and sometimes hinders the game, there’s a good game beneath these bugs.
As a Friday the 13th franchise fan, its clear the game was developed by a team that appreciates the series. Easter eggs and a visit from everyone’s favorite “Jason Killer” make the game feel at home in the Camp Crystal Lake universe.
Ultimately, Gun Media delivered what teeters on the line between a glitchy, incomplete mess at a mostly unreasonable price tag and a solid multiplayer game. While patches may fix some of the game’s technical issues, you are partially left relying on how other people play to get what feels like the intended, cooperative experience.
Where was Pamela Voorhees to warn Jason that another video game may not have been the best idea?
Mark LoProto is a horror-loving gaming enthusiast who also has a soft spot for Ghostbusters, bubble wrap, and kittens. Look for his work here, here, and here.
