Developer: Blue Wizard Digital
Publisher: Blue Wizard Digital
Rrp: £5.99 (Steam) and £6.99 (Humblebundle)
Released: 25th October 2016
Available on: Steam and Humblebundle
Played Using: A Xbox 360 Controller
When you’re a killer in a 1980’s style slasher movie its sometimes just a bit too easy just killing the kids. It becomes boring doing the same thing over and over, they scream, you stab, they bleed, blah, blah, blah. So a bunch of us killers got together and decided to set down a few rules and make a game of it. It’s worked out great, although I could do with less spiked pits in my life.
Slayaway Camp is an isometric 1980’s themed puzzle game where you get to play as a killer in an 80’s style slasher movie. I would say ‘The’ killer but you gain more of them to play as so its not like you stay as a single character.
You slide the killer around diorama style scenes trying to kill all of the teens. Once all the teens are in little bits you move the killer to the pentagram that lights up and thats the scene (which is a level) completed.
Sometimes the scene you play through has some pitfalls and traps to use on your victims, but be aware what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander. In the later stages your victims will enlist the help of the local law enforcement (snitches) which can make life a little more difficult.
Did you make a mistake while trying to dispatch those damned kids? Maybe you got busted by the cops, or fell down a spiked pit? Well no problem! Just press the
left trigger and the whole scene will rewind back by one move (which is done with a pretty authentic sounding VHS rewinding sound). You can do this as much as you want without any penalties other than the crushing reality of knowing that you made a mistake.
Once you’ve completed the first movie (which is the tutorial chapter) you’re allowed to access the movie shelf. This movie shelf acts as the level select, character selection and store screen. Actually I should say ‘stores’ as there are two, one which allows you to purchase other killers. The other allows you to buy extra gorepacks, which are the kill animations, so you can see your victims die in several amusing and sometimes grotesque ways.
To buy those gorepacks and killers you’re going to need some coins. In this game coins are gained from successfully completing bonus scenes at the end of each level. Which is a simple matter if pressing the [A] button when the meter enters the ‘kill zone’. Do it right and you’ll receive a fair amount of coins, fail and you still get some coins but not that many.
The killer moves like a rook in chess in that they can only move in straight lines and not diagonally. They will also continuing moving until they hit some kind of obstacle (or something that kills them). Moving next to a victim causes them to run as far as they can in the opposite direction. In many puzzles you’ll need to use this movement to solve it.
The designers choice of using voxel graphics is a great boon to this game allowing it to seem more graphic without actually really being so. It also fits in with the retro styling that flows throughout the whole game.
I have to admit I rather like this game, the designers but a lot of thought and effort into it and that shows. However as much as they try to make the game more challenging and interesting, it becomes repetitive quite quickly. It’s definitely a game meant to be played in short stints and not for prolonged periods.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Lara Croft Go
Hitman Go
Kill the Bad Guy
