There was a little something for everyone during this week’s PlayStation State of Play. Big budget action games. Super creative indie showcases. A follow-up to a beloved, console-exclusive gem. There was one title in particular, however, that perked my ears up. A brand new game based on the horror classic Halloween is coming to PlayStation from the same developers who made one of the most underrated multiplayer games of the last decade. And while I think its grand reveal may have come a little too soon for my liking (what do you mean September 2026??), what was shown looked like a promising spiritual successor that will avoid the biggest mistake of the developer’s biggest and most tragic game to date.
The Halloween video game, made by Colorado-based developer Illfonic, is based on John Carpenter’s influential 1978 slasher flick of the same name. In it, players will take control of one of the young residents living in the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, or the infamous knife-wielding psycho, Michael Myers. From a gameplay standpoint, the premise is fairly simple. As Michael, you’re looking to slay as many Haddonfield inhabitants as possible. As a civilian, you’re looking to alert as many people as possible to Michael’s presence and call the authorities to stop his rampage.
If this premise sounds familiar, it's because it is. Halloween is an isometric multiplayer game in the same style as Dead by Daylight, or as I clocked right away, Illfonic’s ill-fated Friday the 13th game. But rather than going for the pick-up-and-play mass appeal of the former, Illfonic is looking to strike the same vein it did in 2017 with the latter. Unlike last time, however, Illfonic is including a crucial feature Friday the 13th didn’t have: a single-player story mode.
Halloween is a spiritual successor to Friday the 13th in every way. From Michael’s supernatural player abilities that allow him to be the ever-present stalker he is in the films, to the faithful recreation of the original movie’s look and vibe, this is essentially the Jason sequel we never got on consoles and PC. With the addition of a story mode, all of these cinematic elements that Illfonic painstakingly brought to life in 2017 can be better appreciated here.
If you’re not aware, Friday the 13th: The Game was a loving send-up of Jason Voorhees and the film franchise he starred in. It included dozens of neat references to the films, complex but fun game mechanics based on its twisted continuity, unlockable skins that represented every incarnation of the character, and, of course, a beautiful recreation of Camp Crystal Lake in the 1980s. The game’s rough technical launch aside, it was a reverent piece of media, one that was a blast to play with friends and was supposed to keep growing with years' worth of free post-launch updates.
Unfortunately, the game’s updates were delayed indefinitely due to an ongoing legal dispute over the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise. Conflicts completely out of Illfonic’s control essentially ended the game before it was shut down for good last year. While the game’s “ghost cancellation” was tragic in its own right, what made matters worse was the lack of a proper single-player component. Though Illfonic patched in the ability to play with bots shortly after launch, the added feature was a far cry from a proper, story-driven campaign. Without that feature, Friday the 13th languished on storefronts. Unless you were a Friday the 13th super fan, there was little reason to buy a multiplayer-focused game with zero updates on the horizon for four years.
Illfonic is avoiding this same mistake. A proper story mode where players step into the shoes of Michael Myers not only breathes new life into the game, it also pulls in players who may not want to venture into the game if it were multiplayer only. It’s a wise shift that should future-proof the game for longer than its predecessor.
It’s a great time for horror fans who game. Not only is Michael Myers getting his own game next year, but Jason Voorhees is set to star in another game made by an unknown developer. This week, Silent Hill is returning in a brand new entry set in 1960s Japan. And next February, Capcom is bringing players back to the monster-filled world of Resident Evil with the ninth entry in the series.
