Friday the 13th is a series nostalgic for many horror movie buffs. The writing wasn't always the wittiest, but it used slasher genre tropes almost perfectly, for better or worse. Seemingly, Friday the 13th: The Game was going to be the perfect video game adaptation of the beloved horror series, but it was far from it.
The Friday the 13th story, many installments in, is quite well-known at this point. Some teenage camp counselors failed to ensure the safety of Jason Voorhees at Camp Crystal Lake in 1967. Later, other teenagers went to visit the camp, leading to their demise by the hands of Jason's mother. Following installments saw the iconic Jason Voorhees tracking down teenagers who would go on to try and enjoy themselves at other camps and locations. Overall, the series is still beloved despite some questionable entries and has turned out to be one of the most successful horror franchises of all-time.
So, when Gun Media-published Friday the 13th: The Game was announced, fans were very ecstatic. The idea of an asymmetrical multiplayer Friday the 13th game is quite exciting with one person playing as Jason hunting down the counselors as they try to escape the different maps in the game. Frankly, it was entertaining to a degree but its entertainment was admittedly limited.
This is especially true considering the game's broken state at release. It might even be fair to say that some Early Access titles have fared better than Friday the 13th: The Game in its state of release. The lag was unbearable, the game had online login issues, and contained a host of other problems that didn't make the title a pleasant experience for gamers.
Despite many patches, Friday the 13th: The Game simply wasn't up to snuff. Things continued to get worse within the game, mostly, and the final product remains divisive among fans for its nostalgic value but sometimes unbearable gameplay.
Furthermore, the balance between the player fulfilling the role of Jason and those playing as camp counselors seemed more than off. At times, the player controlling Jason could easily eliminate everyone in the match using Jason's teleportation and other overpowered abilities. At other times, however, the camp counselors could quickly find an escape route if they knew where all the necessary parts were for a car to escape in, for example. Although brilliant conceptually, given the setup of each movie in the franchise, Friday the 13th: The Game's execution left something to be desired.
It's unclear who is at fault for the game's botched release, but it simply wasn't ready in time for its release. Gun Media may have rushed the effort, leaving Illfonic with an inadequate amount of time to finish development. Whatever the case may be, Friday the 13th deserved better. But, who knows? Perhaps we'll get something better down the road.
Friday the 13th is one of the most celebrated horror franchises around and a video game adaptation seemed to be a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, the delivered experience is far from fantastic. However, it could be possible that fans will receive a better product at some point. Until then, however, all we can do is enjoy Friday the 13th: The Game to the best of our abilities.