‘Evil Dead: The Game’ Captures the Essence of Ash
Evil Dead: The Game is a love letter to the movie. But as a game, it’s a little rough around the edges. Still, there is plenty to enjoy.
Evil Dead: The Game is out now and perfectly fits the vibe of the campy horror movie experience.
Gameplay Overview
Evil Dead: The Game is an asymmetric multiplayer horror game, like Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th: The Game. One player controls the various deadites and demons, and the remaining players control characters from the franchise, such as Ash, his sister Cheryl, or Kelly or Pablo from Ash vs. Evil Dead.
It’s up to the humans to complete a series of tasks in order to win. Step one involves finding three pieces of a map which are randomly placed around the game area. Next, they must find the Necronomicon and the Kandarian Dagger. Next, use both of those items to banish The Dark Ones. And finally, protect the Necronomicon from a demonic assault. Additionally, each character has a skill tree, allowing for some character customization and progression.
However, as they say, “Don’t split the party.” Each human player has a Fear Meter, which rises while alone or in the dark. So sticking together or staying in well-lit areas is important. But, obviously not sustainable. If the humans’ fear meter gets too high, the demon player will be able to possess them for a short while.
All the while, the demon player is trying to kill the humans. And they have plenty of tools with which to do just that. The demon player is able to set traps which increase the player’s fear, release hordes of deadites, and potentially unleash powerful demons as well.
Evil Dead: The Game Review
Evil Dead: The Game was developed by Saber Interactive, the same people who made the World War Z video game and the upcoming Space Marine 2, among many others. So, they know their way around game design. Still, overall there is a lot that doesn’t feel polished here. The controls and the camera aren’t perfect, the UI is a little confusing, and some players are reporting resolution issues. There is also a single player mode, but it feels like a tacked-on late addition.
But despite all of that, Evil Dead: The Game is incredibly fun and perfectly captures the tone, feel, and vibe of the movie. There’s tons of references and easter eggs for fans to spot, and of course, the voice acting from Bruce Campbell is the perfect cherry on top.
If you’re a fan of the Evil Dead franchise, check out Evil Dead: The Game. And don’t forget your Boomstick.
