It might not be the best looking game around, but Friday the 13th did something managed to bring R rated horror to the NES at a time of plumbers and pixels.
Prepare for some 8 bit horror
The premise was simple enough: walk the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake, save camp counselors from Jason and light fire places. It might have been crude and a little campy with its constant barrage of zombies, wolves and even a cameo of Mrs. Voorhees’ floating head, but it still had a great horror feeling despite its flaws.
Friday the 13th the game was a decent try at early survival horror simply based on one main factor: Jason is able to strike at random. Most of the game is downright goofy looking, but the fact that Jason can not only attack counselors and kids within the first 10 seconds of the game is downright startling.
Much like the Friday the 13th movies; Jason can show up out of nowhere, multiple times.
From start to finish, the game is a constant struggle to outwit and outlive Jason and the game did a great job of creating an atmosphere of constant tension. So if you’re in the mood for a good retro scare for Halloween, check out Friday the 13th the game.
Even the lake can’t save you from Jason’s rage.
