Weeks before it dies for good, Friday the 13th: The Game isn't just surprisingly active - it's the most fun I've had with a multiplayer horror game all year
Dec. 5, 2024Friday the 13th: The Game is a wicked, lawless good time, and I’ll miss it dearly when it’s gone
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
A camp with no counselors
As a non-cheating, non-hacking, out-of-practice player, there’s about a 2-3% chance I win any given game of Friday the 13th: The Game, but it doesn’t matter. Sure, the rush of escaping Jason Voorhees' grasp isn’t quite as thrilling when Jason is being straight-up bullied by cheating camp counselors, and conversely it feels unfair when the killer somehow has every perk unlocked right out of the gate. But there’s an anarchic atmosphere that feels like a wild, chaotic party, which might not be the respectful sendoff the game deserves, but is a whole lot of fun.
If you can forgive the jank and free yourself from the pressures of competition, Camp Crystal Lake is a delightfully unbalanced free-for-all where nothing matters because we’re all going to die anyway. It doesn’t even seem to me that anyone is particularly interested in winning. It’s just all vibes, man. You’ll see camp counselors dancing around the fire, fully aware that Jason is approaching with every intent to decapitate them. Sometimes they get beheaded, and sometimes they inexplicably escape and continue dancing, whipping Jason into an enraged frenzy you can’t help but enjoy. Sometimes, you’ll die almost immediately, whether fairly or not, and have the pleasure of watching the most unhinged Friday the 13th movie ever (yes, even more than Jason Takes Manhattan) through static cameras and other players' perspectives.
When I say Friday the 13th is the most fun I’ve had with a multiplayer horror game this year, that isn’t to say it’sbetterthan contemporaries like Dead by Daylight and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, nor indie gems like Content Warning and Lethal Company. It’s frankly incomparable. It isn’t even trying to compete with any of those games anymore, and in fact, developer IllFonic has long moved on to Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and, more recently, Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game. Friday the 13th: The Game is a land without law, and with only weeks to go until it disappears, playing it feels a little like attending a Y2K party in December 1999.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Now that I’ve dated myself into oblivion, let me unpack just how well IllFonic managed to capture the campy, trashy, extremely ’80s atmosphere that makes the long-running film Friday the 13th series so endearing and lovable. Visually, it’s perfect. All of the maps, whether it’s the iconic Camp Crystal Lake or Pinehurst Youth Development Camp from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, are faithfully recreated to be oddly inviting despite the presence of a mutant serial killer hellbent on making sure no one has a good time.
Friday the 13th: The Game has it all. The debauchery, the aerobic workout outfits, the silly haircuts, even the purple and blue skin inspired by the irredeemably bad NES Friday the 13th game. Then there’s the stiff animations, weirdly waxy skin textures, and eccentric facial expressions, which of course aren’t nods to the film series but are unintentional tributes to the low budget feel of the movies.
For fans, it’s a love letter to their favorite film series, andby farthe best Crystal Lake sandbox to ever exist. So to lapsed players or curious onlookers who’ve been wondering what’s going on in Crystal Lake limbo, I’d strongly urge you to log in and join this wonderfully broken farewell for one of the greats.
It’s Halloween all year round when you marathon our list of thebest horror gamesever.
After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
Everybody loves Jeff the Land Shark, Marvel Rivals' standout star, except the people who have to play against him
