Title: Friday the 13th: The Game
Available On: Xbox One, PC, PS4
Developer: IllFonic
Publisher: Gun Media
Genre: Survival Horror
Official Site:Â https://f13game.com/
Release Date: October 13th, 2017 (Disc), May 26th, 2017 (Digital)
Where To Buy: Steam, Xbox Marketplace, PSN, Local Retailers
Friday the 13th may have released digitally on consoles and PC back in May but this Friday the 13th the game officially releases in stores. If you’re any type of fan of the franchise, you can certainly guess what the game is about. The game is a semi-open world survival horror that pits a number of counselors against the ruthless Jason Vorhees. The goal? The counselours obviously have to escape while Jason has to kill them before they do. It won’t be easy for the counselors or Jason as both have unique abilities to win the game. Friday the 13th can certainly be a lot of fun but a few things could get in the way that might potentially ruin the experience.
When Friday the 13th first launched in May, it was an absolute disaster, particularly for those who owned it on consoles. I, like many others, bought it on release day and were unable to play due to server issues. When that issue was finally resolved and I was able to play, I had a good time. It was fun and exhilarating to play as both Jason and the counselors. Little things stood out to me like the counselors constantly tripping as they ran when they got tired. Also, the ridiculous facial expressions of the characters as Jason chases them. The Jason kills are also pretty brutal and very much remind me of those that were in the films.
Now, I haven’t played Friday the 13th for some time and only recently got into it again this past week for the purposes of this article. One thing I did notice is that the “Quickplay” option does work and it’s fairly easy to find a game. The downside is that currently, Friday the 13th does not have dedicated servers. Therefore, you could certainly find yourself disconnected midmatch or from the lobby before the game even starts. It’s been an up and down experience for me. One day I ran into constant problems with being kicked from matches before I even played. On another day, however, I had relatively no issues with getting a match started. While initial excitement to play may keep players interested, I feel this may dwindle over time if it continues. Friday the 13th is expected to receive dedicated servers at some point.
One of the friends that I played with quite a bit is R6Developer on Xbox Live who’s currently logged over 150 game hours for this title. I asked him what he was looking forward to in regards to the most recent October 11th patch.
The weather changes is the big thing because it will add loads more tension and atmosphere to the game. Emotes I have mixed opinions on, I like them but find them to be a distraction. Clothing packs are always a good thing. Jarvis Map and Part 4 Jason will be a positive to stay true to the films. Mitch Floyd the new counsellor has no relation to the films, he’s a stereotypical stoner dude from the 80’s but will be fun to play.
It’s also important to note that as of right now, Friday the 13th is only a multiplayer game. That’s right, there’s no single player story and you shouldn’t expect one. Although offline bots are coming. Friday the 13th developers Gun Media and IllFonic have released a roadmap for what to expect for the game in the future. New additions to the game in the coming months include new maps, counselors, kills and challenges among other things.
My only other major gripe is the potential wait time that one could experience in a game. Whether you’re new to the game or a frequent player, it’s possible that you could be the first to die. In that event, you may find yourself waiting for a good chunk of time for the match to finish. Sure, you could just leave but your XP will be lost. It’s not just dying that could have you waiting either. For instance, I managed to escape within the first 5 minutes of a match. It just so happened that two other players and myself all started in an area where the needed car parts were. We all promptly installed them and drove to safety. I spent the remainder of the match watching Jason wander around trying to kill the remaining players. This may be fun to watch on the big screen where it’s choreographed and carefully executed but in a game with human players…it can be frustrating to watch.
Verdict: The Friday the 13th game is a fun dive into the horror franchise. You’ll easily find yourself gripping your controller as you try to escape the murderous Jason Vorhees or kill those counselors trying to escape. The lack of dedicated servers, no single player and potential wait times may not be everyone’s cup of tea.Â
Have you played Friday the 13th? If so, what did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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