While the heyday of the slasher film genre has passed, we were recently given the opportunity to don the guise of Jason to take on the dimwitted camp counselors he is known for murdering in the films. Does the game capture what made the films so amazing (or bad), making the murderer a household name? Let’s take a look.

There isn’t not much to this game, as it’s a simple PvP title with 1 player (randomly selected in a public game, although you can select or take turns in private matches) playing the role of Jason, with the remaining players (up to 7) taking the role of camp counselors. This is a timed game, where Jason must kill all of the other players before they escape using the various means available or the timer runs out. Playing as Jason is admittedly much more fun than playing as the machete fodder that the other players are doomed to use. You’ll use a number of super human abilities, such as warping around the map, disappearing and moving in an Evil Dead-esque style animation in first person, or even “seeing” sounds in the surrounding area. There are a few different options available with more that can be unlocked by progressing through the game’s overly grind-y XP system. The customization in the game offers the option to select from a number of different executions in the event you can grab one of the meat puppets running for their lives. Not limited to just the ones found in the loadout, Jason can also perform a number of environmental executions, such as throwing someone into a fire place or pit, as well as pulling them under water.

Playing as a counselor isn’t nearly as fun, as you are primarily going to be running around looking for randomly placed items to facilitate an escape or to defend yourself against Jason. While there are a number of defensive items available, they only slow Jason down. Apparently you can kill Jason, but it is no easy task, as I have yet to see anyone accomplish it. I have played a number of rounds and have yet to manage to complete most of these tasks, as it does appear it requires cooperation from your teammates. This is where the biggest issue lies. I don’t want to offend anyone in particular by saying that the online community is full of idiots, but it kind of is. I have run into a few like-minded people just looking to enjoy the game, but it is currently plagued with people that don’t have the maturity to play the game properly if they are not Jason every match. That or they are children who do not quite understand the concept of how it is meant to be played. With this being said, my time with the online community wasn’t that great.

I did enjoy playing some private matches with my wife and friends, but these typically revolved around figuring out the mechanics or goofing off. The only other option I found to be worthwhile was playing against AI bots that were added in a recent update. This option does ensure you are Jason every time; however, the AI is not that great and will regularly run head on into your waiting machete or tool of destruction. While not amazing, it can be a good way to kill some time and grind out the much needed XP.

The overall presentation is a bit lacking, since most of the character models appear to be from last-gen technology. While not nearly as bad as it was at launch, the game is plagued with bugs. There were a number of occasions where I was stuck in the landscape as Jason or a counselor, in addition to clipping as well as hiding spaces miraculously disappearing while someone is standing still inside, unaware that I could see them plain as day. The biggest offence is the lack of any real content. There are a whopping 3 maps (6 if you count the “small” versions of the original 3) and not much to do once you’ve seen all they have to offer.

I wanted to like this game, but I find it hard to recommend it in its current state. The lack of content, as well as the package being offered, is not worth the $39.99 price tag unless you have 7 friends willing to throw down the cash as well.

5 out of 10

Pros

• Playing as Jason can be fun….

Cons

• … Everything Else is a Snooze
• Horrible AI
• Lack of Content
• Less Than Stellar Online Community

Friday the 13th was developed and published by Gun Media. It was released on PC, PS4, and X1 on May 26th, 2017 for $39.99. The game was not provided for review on the X1. For more on Friday the 13th, visit its official site

 

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