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There is playing a good horror game, and then there is being able to take part in your favorite slasher flick – without all of the real blood on your hands, of course.
I was insanely skeptical about Friday the 13th: The Game at first, especially after finding out it had started as a homage to the series before receiving the actual license. I wouldn’t have even bought it, but my wife was tired of hearing me go on about everyone else playing, so I found a few friends to group with —the preferred way to play— and quickly realized that this was one of the few online competitive games I might truly enjoy. One hundred and eighty hours of gameplay time later, and I can’t believe I almost let this one slip past me.
Illfonic, the developers behind the game, may not have understood the depth of the project on their hands, or how successful it was going to be, but they are certainly fans of the series. The amount of detail and content is evidence of that; just take a look at the recreation of Tommy Jarvis’ room in the new map. The game captures the atmosphere of those films well and puts players into the harrowing moments, five minutes after Jason Voorhees has begun terrorizing Camp Crystal Lake. Well, that is until someone runs by screaming racial slurs or blasting techno music, killing the mood. The community can be a problem, but I have a good group of people to team with, and the foresight of a mute button is a true blessing. Team killing may have been removed, but there is nothing as satisfying as screwing over someone who has been a prick half the match.
Playing as the various counselors can be quite fun and challenging, as well as encouraging working together, but the true fun for me is taking control of the hulking monster in the hockey mask to unleash hell upon arrogant and damned players. There might be more satisfaction in being the weaker prey with quicker wits and outsmarting or outmaneuvering evil incarnate, but we all have an inner demon, a bit of rage or lust for violence that is sated when the hunt ends and an innocent youth’s skull is crushed under Jason’s fingertips, or killed through the numerous ways from the films that the different versions of the killer offer — deliciously gruesome. There is something sweet about it, no matter which role is preferred.
I won’t call it a sleeper, but it’s a hit for sure and one that I and seemingly many others were skeptical about. The developers are still producing content, most of it for free, and though the product might be a bit buggy, it is rare I don’t enjoy my sessions of spending time trying not to be massacred with all my friends. F13 expanded on its genre, and I’m hoping to see it pave the way for more great games, perhaps with Freddy or Pinhead getting their time to shine.
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