Review: Friday the 13th: The Killer Puzzle – PS4

The first and only Friday the 13^th video game I played was the previous PS4 title developed by Ilfonic, and it wasn’t great. After that, I had lost hope that a game of the iconic horror franchise would ever make it’s way onto my playlist. That was until I gave Friday the 13^th: The Killer Puzzle a play.
The game itself has actually been around for a while, launching on PC, Nintendo Switch, IOS and Android in the beginning of 2018. But now those on PlayStation get to give the slasher puzzle game a go.
Playing Friday the 13^th wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t controlling the legendary Jason Vorhees, and as such you will be controlling Jason throughout the campaign consisting of 150+ levels. There are three different modes for you to try your murderous hands at, including the campaign, daily death and murder marathon. The campaign is the better place to start, you’ll find the larger bulk of content and playability here. The gameplay is simple and repetitive, and despite the fact that you could easily find the game as monotonous, it is oddly addictive.

Even though the game boils down to flicking your joystick in the four directions you can move, once you get through the thick of levels that are simple and easy, you’ll find yourself on a level that lends you quite the mental challenge; I was left scratching my head and wondering what I was doing wrong more than I would like to admit. Even more so when you figure out the solution you’ll be kicking yourself.
As you progress you’ll find the difficulty gradually increased with obstacles added, some of them are to be avoided unless you fancy an embarrassing death. The game manages to stick to its source material despite it’s cartoony aesthetic with some gory fatalities and elemental traps like fires. The aim of the game is simple, kill all human characters either by moving into position to kill them yourself or by scaring them into running into an elemental trap, with the latter offering some amusement and variety to levels.
Some levels require you to plan and plot your moves, with a limited amount of moves, and getting these levels right does come with a degree of achievement. The puzzle-solving is just half of the fun to be found with the campaign, watching the action unfold with cartoony gore, limb dismemberment and decapitation also presents an enjoyable experience. The gore can be toned down if you’re playing the game with kids, but being perfectly honest, the full experience is where its at. There are some fun references in the fatalities to the movies and the cinematic and artistic style of these kills is perfectly suited to the tone they’re going for.

Of course, you wouldn’t be playing a Friday the 13^th game if you weren’t able to unlock multiple other versions of the slasher killer himself, with the different versions available as in-game rewards for your progress. The sound effects are loyal to the franchise and give the game an air of legitimacy, solidifying it as a Friday the 13^th game and not a cheap knock off.
Although the gameplay itself threatens to become monotonous with the simple and linear style, Killer Puzzle makes sure to freshen the experience with cosmetics and weapon upgrades as you play through the levels. The developers have made a genuine effort to keep the levels’ visual design diverse and unique throughout each stage, legitimately fun boss levels interjected intermittently.
Daily Death mode presents a mode where you are dropped each day into an entirely unique level, offered no hints or way of help this game mode provides a bit of a fun challenge and thought provocative gameplay, and I particularly found that I got stuck towards the end of these, after arrogantly rushing through assuming ease.
Murder Marathon is another mode that is stupidly addictive, where you are stuck in consecutive quick time events, requiring you to press the X button at the right time to stack as many kills as possible to a heavy metal, slasher based soundtrack. This mode whilst also being addictive gives you the chance to grind out some weapon unlocks but if I’m honest I found the better side of this game mode was trying my hardest to beat my personal best and reach the next milestone.

All in all Friday the 13^th: The Killer Puzzle is a really good and addictive puzzle game, it stays true to the franchise name with violent kills and audio, and somehow finds fun in simplicity. Whilst most games shoot for the fences and strike out, Killer Puzzle knows what it wants to be, a terrifically addictive and oddly satisfying little game to wind down the time.
With three modes that all tailor to a particular mood you’re in, if you fancy a more rewarding play through, give the campaign a go, if you are looking for a deeper and challenging thinking game, then give Daily Death a go, and if you’re looking just to kill some campers, then give Murder Marathon a go.
Is it worth the £8.99 price tag on the store? It honestly depends on you, the game is not going to give you a long extensive campaign with riveting detail and character development, but it doesn’t promise to do this, what it does promise, is fun, and it delivers really well for what is, in essence, a mobile game without the tropes that come with a free-to-play title.
I would recommend Friday the 13^th: Killer Puzzle as a game to stick on when you’re bigger and more ambitious titles are installing, when AAA titles are letting you down with massive updates and waiting time, pop on Killer Puzzle and take your frustrations out on those unsuspecting campers.

Friday the 13th: The Killer Puzzle PS4 Review

• 7/10
  Overall - Very Good - 7/10

7/10

Summary

Friday The 13th: The Killer Puzzle delivers a tremendously addictive and fun experience with a simple puzzle-based formula. The game gets you thinking and the satisfaction from solving the more challenging puzzles is tangible. There are three modes to tickle your different moods and the game allows you to pick up and play as and when you see fit.
At such a low price point the game provides the perfect boredom buster and fills the void as you wait for bigger and better things. The most unsuspecting of styles finally delivers a good game for the Friday The 13th franchise.