The asymmetric horror genre continues to grow and Michael Myers is now stalking onto the scene in Halloween: The Game, but while the franchise should provide plenty of promise, the overall takeaway is a feeling of frustration.
Following on from the likes of Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and, of course, Dead by Daylight, there was already a pretty high bar set, but rather than striving to reach those heights, Halloween: The Game bluntly falls short.
While the plethora of bugs should be resolved in time for the full launch, they weren’t the biggest problem, which instead came amidst a real sense of imbalance.
Stab in The Dark
Sadly, while the bugs that plagued my early playthrough sessions should be resolved for full launch, it’s difficult to ignore an array of crashes and character freezes, and it’s even harder to ignore the extremely bizarre bugs that left Michael trapped inside a kitchen cupboard and flipping a police wagon upside down.
That’s often part and parcel of reviewing games early, so it would be unfair to dock the title significant points in that regard, but the balance of the game is something that should’ve been nailed down, or at least close to it.
Instead, games are heavily weighted in Michael Myers’ favor. Of course, there should always be some challenge escaping from the killer and surviving in a title like Halloween: The Game, but you should also feel like you have some chance of sneaking away.
In reality, if you’re spotted by Michael, your number’s up. Once grabbed, it takes no time at all for him to execute you, and even if you do slip away, it’s easy for him to track you down.
If you manage to put some space between you and the killer, it’s not much better, as Michael’s abilities quickly put him right back in your business, and even if you manage to fix the car for an escape, just one whack from Michael and you’re set back significantly again, needing to find another repair kit.
Coupled with NPCs that have as much common sense as a standard goldfish, it’s a frustrating endeavour, and really makes you question whether there was any playtesting at all.
Falling Short
I was also intrigued to experience the game’s single-player mode, where players control Michael Myers, especially as this was an area that could have provided a significant difference when compared to the other titles in the asymmetric horror genre, most of which are soley an online experience.
Unfortunately, there’s not much to shout about, as for the most part, the single player experience is merely a glorified tutorial, spread across several levels and locations.
More frustrating is the fact there’s not really much of a reason to split these tutorials out into parts. Things start of very basic, covering Michael’s escape from an asylum, before then moving to other mechanics in the game. But really, it could’ve all been placed together.
A big question I kept asking myself throughout my experience with Halloween: The Game was why people should play this title rather than some competitors, and there isn’t really an answer.
Ultimately, it just feels like another asymmetric horror title with little to set it apart from its rivals, and the basic issues with core mechanics are impossible to overlook.
Check out the Halloween: The Game trailer below.
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Halloween: The Game
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