Steam is a wonderful place if you like gaming. Thousands of ready-to-download games, many of them free, are at your fingertips, from first-person shooters to party games and horror (we wouldn’t be talking about it if there wasn’t any)! Because there are more games to choose from than days in a year, you’re able to access games from many different companies and individuals, ensuring that whatever you choose will no doubt be different from the last. Just like fashion, gaming trends tend to go in cycles. Right now, we’ve been transported back to the beginning of video games with many made to look like the 8- and 16-bit games we grew up with. Pair an 80s look with a very 80s theme, and we’ve got one spicy meatball! Slayaway Camp is everything you’re looking for in a fun, horror-themed puzzle game.
You are Skullface, a Voorhees-type who loves to kill. Problem is that you have to solve a puzzle in order to murder those mangy campers you’ve been eyeing all summer. In a limited number of moves, you must make it square-by-square to all of your victims to win each level. Each kill gets a gruesome graphic where Skullface maims, slashes, and crushes campers to death, with some of the kills getting their own gory cut-scene. Anything goes at Slayaway Camp!
In its four years since release, I’ve always come back to play another round. Slayaway Camp never disappoints when it comes to pure horror nostalgia. And though the golden age of slashers was before my time, I still get that feeling of ultimate horror credibility you’d get from any of the Friday the 13ths, Halloweens, or Nightmare on Elm Streets. While it’s not free, it’s a small price to pay for hours of enjoyment; the sheer number of puns, venues, and killers makes Slayaway Camp a blast to play many times through.
Everything from the derpy sliding to the comic-like kill sounds is perfectly 80s. Machete’d in the face? “OUCHIES!” Pushed into the water? Que an animation of fish surrounding a drowning camper. New kill animation? Try Face Stapled or Not the Bees! Each level is a somewhat recognizable parody of a movie with a funny name to boot. And speaking of movies, once a player has completed a section of levels, a new “movie” (and new puzzle theme) becomes available to play, as well as a new killer!
But beware, Skullface isn’t alone in this camp of death. You must bypass obstacles like police, murder-pits, and annoying fencing to get that sweet, sweet blood you crave. Mess up or miscount and you’re S-O-L, succumbing to a world of hurt yourself or failing your mission to maim. So not only do you have to guide our masked murderer through camper-killing, you have to guide his mind. Step into the headspace of your favorite slashers and devise a plan to kill as many people in the least amount of moves possible. Perfect streaks are rewarded with extra gory kill scenes and points that allow you to buy more.
Easy to learn. Easy to play. Easy to enjoy and have a killer time doing it. Slayaway Camp is definitely one of those games to have on all devices available, from your PC to phone, it’s endlessly enjoyable and highly addictive. Both fun to watch and fun to play, you don’t have to be an 80s horror buff to get excited about this game. All you need is a little time and a little dark humor, and Slayaway Camp will do the rest! A movie and game all in one — perfect combo indeed.
Favorite thing about Slayaway Camp? Let us know in the comments!
Visit Slayaway Camp on Steam here! Available on Steam, Android, iOS, Xbox One, and PS4.
