If you are a horror fan, you have probably watched the Halloween movies. These classic slasher films are among the most iconic, alongside Friday the 13th and Predator, which have both received asymmetrical multiplayer games from Illfonic in the past. Now the team is back with a new horror game based on Michael Myers and Halloween, and after playing a little bit of it at PAX East, it is looking to be a killer experience.
Michael Myers Stalks the Streets
I was lucky enough to jump into the blue coveralls and pale mask of Michael and readied myself to stalk my prey on the streets of Haddonfield, with three players making the attempt to avoid the edge of my blade. With little guidance, I took to the streets to learn his abilities. As you would expect, Michael is quite slow, but true to his mysterious nature, he has the ability to move through the shadows, hidden in plain sight.
Shape Jump was the first ability I discovered, allowing me to move silently through the neighborhood – my victims unaware of my presence. This mode allowed me to move at an extremely fast pace, but I was unable to strike or become visible while someone was watching, a good payoff for being able to chase my victims effectively. Without this ability, Myers’ slow speed would have been the death of me.
Second, I discovered Michael’s Killer Sense – a must-have ability that allows him to sense the location of victims. NPCs and players appear as blue blips in this mode, giving you their location and allowing you to plan your assault.
His Slashing Nature
Similar to the Friday the 13th game, you can use your environment to aid you in your kills. While I only turned off the lights, it appeared that other interactions were in the area that I overlooked, thanks to seeing red and being fixated on killing the others in the preview.
Speaking of seeing red, as I laid eyes on my first victim, I moved in to strike, knife at the ready. There are a few attacks that Michael has at his disposal. You can walk up, knife at the ready, and slash down with force to deal increased damage. This is a great way to start your assault. Afterward, you can follow it up with some quicker slashes to further bloody your victims. By far, the best move is Michael’s grapple. With a player or NPC in your grasp, you can input a series of button presses to perform a finisher, rewarding you with a bloody ending to your victim’s life. While nobody managed to escape my grasp, I do believe other players would be able to get out when they have a clearer idea of how to play.
Of course, there is an extra layer to being a killer, and that is avoiding the police. Unlike previous games from Illfonic, Halloween will have you contending with the cops. Getting caught will give players and NPCs the chance to call the police. This adds a layer of pressure because the cops will not hesitate to take you out. If they spot you, they will open fire, and you only get one chance to get up. I managed to take out two NPCs and two players before I was cornered by the cops and knocked down. After rising for the first time, I took a cop down with me as the rest opened fire, ending my killing spree for good.
A Bloody Good Experience
There is no denying that Illfonic has plenty of experience crafting isometric horror games. Thanks to previous titles like Friday the 13th and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the team has learned a lot that can be clearly seen in Halloween. While it took a minute to get the controls down, playing the killer felt very intuitive and gave me flashbacks to playing Friday the 13th. Oftentimes, there are moments where you aren’t sure what to do or you fumble around. I was impressed by how well-crafted the controls are in Halloween, making it easy for anyone to pick it up and get into the game. Along with this, the entire atmosphere matched exactly what I would expect from a 1980’s slasher icon.
With plenty of interactivity, chances to jump out of the shadows, and the pressure to be a more silent killer, Halloween has a little bit of everything I would expect from a title such as this, and it feels like Illfonic rolled all the best parts of past games into one. On top of this, additions like the cops being called in, kept me on my toes and made me think twice about when to strike, adding to the depth of the experience and making it all the more worthwhile and rewarding when you score a kill.
