Favorite Retro Slasher Games

Jul 19

In recent years, a trend has developed to adapt classic slasher movies into multiplayer video games. Such examples consist of: Friday The 13th: The Game (Gun Media), Dead By Daylight (Behaviour Interactive) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Gun Media). However, this is not the first time in history where slasher movies have inspired video game adaptations. Some of the earliest adaptations of slasher movies in video games happened during the retro gaming era. With all of the buzz and excitement surrounding the upcoming release of Gun Media’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game (pun intended), I thought this would be the perfect time to write about some of my favorite retro slasher games based on classic slasher films. For this post, I will be providing images of the games I will be discussing along with a paragraph for each game that describes how it is played, along with what I like about the game.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Atari 2600)

A video game adaptation of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was released in 1983 by Wizard Video Games. In the game, you take control of Leatherface in a basic but grisly premise where you are tasked with murdering innocent women before your chainsaw runs out of gas. While hunting victims you must help Leatherface dodge obstacles such as fences and cow skulls. It is crucial to move slow in the game, to avoid obstacles, as well as to conserve and earn fuel (yeah thats right, Leatherface needs to stop for gas breaks while hunting victims). You can earn more fuel in the game after killing five girls with the chainsaw and earning 5,000 points. When your chainsaw runs out of gas, a woman shows up to kick Leatherface in the rear and then it’s game over.

I think what I enjoyed most about this game was it portrayed brutal and horrific concepts, in such a basic and primitive way. There is something unspeakably eerie about violently murdering people in retro video games. Keep in mind, this is the Atari 2600 age of gaming where things like Pitfall and Space Invaders were popular, so I can imagine this game was controversial. I think the history and controversy surrounding this game is also fascinating. The game was one of the first to be based on an R rated film, it was kept behind store shelves and treated as an adult item during a time when video games were largely seen as a kid friendly market. Leatherface would eventually make his comeback in video games by appearing as a playable killer in Dead By Daylight. Leatherface is even receiving his own new game which releases next month. Overall, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Atari game is a super fascinating artifact of slasher history.

Fun Fact: An alternate version of this game was developed but never released.

In this alternate version you control Leatherface who is tasked with trapping and killing a victim in a maze. However in this version, the victim can fight back and is armed with a gun. I found this unreleased version to be captivating because it makes the box art for the released game make more sense. The box art for the released game features a man holding a gun, however he is nowhere to be seen in the final game. It seems the gunman on the cover actually appears in the unreleased game. All of this information leads me to speculate that Wizard Video Games may have potentially asked different game designers to develop different designs of the game, but this is just personal speculation. It’s funny that the box art for the released game refers more to the prototype than the final game.

Gameplay of the unreleased *Texas Chainsaw Massacre* game.

Halloween (Atari 2600)

A video game adaptation of Halloween (1978) was also released by Wizard Video Games in 1983. In the game, you take control of the character Laurie Strode from the film. Your objective is to avoid Michael Myers and help rescue the children you were babysitting (although there are way more children than in the film). You can find a stabbing weapon to defend yourself which causes The Shape to run away, however these weapons can only be used once and can still be found repeatedly throughout the game. Sometimes some of the rooms in the house aren’t well lit, which causes the screen to flicker. Each time you rescue a child and get them to the end of the house, you are awarded points. The goal is to get the highest score you can. Players must stay aware of Michael Myers, prevent him from killing Laurie and the kids (that is right, Michael kills children in the game when you attempt to rescue them). When the children die, they fall over and pixilated blood spurts out. When Laurie dies, she runs around while decapitated with pixelated blood spurting out.

One of the first things I fell in love with when I initially played this game was the Atari 2600 rendition of the classic Halloween theme. There is something so cool about hearing the Halloween theme song in different formats and versions. Another thing I really love about the game is it serves as one of the earliest prototypes of the survival horror genre. Survival horror would later become a huge genre in gaming, so I find it super fascinating to see this concept executed in such a primitive way. Another thing I found very intriguing about this game is it seemingly has more blood in it than the original Halloween film. I found it interesting this game, as well as the previously mentioned Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, feature violent acts that were left more implicit in the films. This game also wasn't the last time Michael Myers and Laurie Strode were playable characters in a video game. They are currently playable in Dead By Daylight. I believe if another modern Halloween video game was developed, it would be fascinating to see the concept of the Atari 2600 game executed in the modern day.

Friday The 13th (Nintendo Entertainment System)

A video game adaptation of Friday The 13th was released in 1989 by LJN. You get to choose from a variety of camp counselors to play as, who all have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The main objective of the game is to defeat Jason Voorhees three times (third time’s the charm I suppose). While playing, you are tasked with rescuing children from Jason, fighting Jason, and fighting other various enemies such as monsters and wild animals. The game is very fast paced and provides the player with mixed feelings of anxiety and frustration at times. You will constantly be completing objectives and searching for items which really gives the game a frantic vibe. There is also a time limit for rescuing the children, which only adds to the tension and frustration. I truly believe the level of frustration this game can cause is almost, dare I say, torturously fun.

The game is mostly its own concept that loosely adapts elements from the films into a Nintendo atmosphere, meaning the game is not based on any specific film in the franchise. As a fan of Friday The 13th, I really enjoyed the references to some of the films in this game. The title screen opens with an animation of a knife going into the eye of Jason’s hockey mask, which is a reference to the poster for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984). Die hard fans of the franchise should also notice the image of Jason on the game box and cartridge is from a scene in Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988). I would have to say my favorite reference to the films in this game is Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees, making an appearance in a boss fight. In this boss fight, you are tasked with fighting the flying decapitated head of Jason’s mother. This concept alone made me laugh hysterically and really just enjoy the lunacy of this game. Another very creative thing this game did was implement day and night transitions, which adds to the horror atmosphere and changes up the gameplay. Overall, the Friday The 13th game on Nintendo is a very challenging test of patience and frustration, but also a very fun game because of how broken and absurd it is. I really love the legacy of this game seems to live on today. The purple version of Jason appears in the Nintendo game, also appears in Gun Media’s Friday The 13th multiplayer game as a playable skin.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (Nintendo Entertainment System)

A video game adaptation of A Nightmare On Elm Street was released in 1990 by LJN. In the game, you take control of a typical teenager and are supposed to collect all of the bones of Freddy Krueger, as well as disposing of them in a furnace. Just like with the Friday The 13th game, Freddy Krueger is not the only enemy you will face. The game’s environment will frequently be invaded by a series of Nintendo style enemies such as monsters, wild animals, and even mythical creatures. To progress further into the game, a certain number of bones must be collected which will then trigger a boss fight with Freddy. When the player defeats Freddy, access to a new area is granted.

Similar to the day and night transitions in the Friday The 13th Nintendo game, this game also features environmental transitions. Rather than transitioning from day to night this game transitions from the real world to the dream world, which is a fitting choice for a Nightmare On Elm Street game. The environmental transitions occur because of a game mechanic known as the “Sleep Meter,” which indicates how close a player is to falling asleep. Once the player enters the dream world, attacks from Freddy become more frequent making you feel more vulnerable and helpless. To escape the dream world, the player must wake themselves up by collecting cups of coffee or standing near a boombox. The player can also receive special powers in the dream world which are granted by collecting certain items.

One of the things I really liked about the game was the capability of having four players. Most Nintendo games were only one or two player games. There are some four player games for Nintendo, but they can only be played if you had the NES Four Score accessory. This game also serves as an amazing companion piece to the previously mentioned Friday The 13th game because both games include similar elements. While the Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street games do have similar elements, these elements are still implemented in unique ways that are respective to both characters and their franchises. I also really enjoyed all of the references to the films, like trying to stay awake with coffee or gaining special powers in the dream world. Fans of the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise should note the concept of dream powers first appeared in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). I really enjoyed how the Nightmare On Elm Street game was not just based on the original film and rather incorporated elements from other films in the franchise, similar to the Friday The 13th game. This game serves as a neat collection of concepts from the films which are implemented into a Nintendo atmosphere.

Conclusion

While some of these games may seem dated or primitive, I believe they are still valuable and somewhat contributed to the evolution of horror in gaming. It is very captivating to examine the beginning of horror in video games because it makes you appreciate just how far the genre has evolved in the world of gaming. Slasher games have evolved from fleeing a killer in a pixelated single player game to fleeing a killer with friends in a detailed multiplayer environment. Getting your hands on some of these games today can cost you a pretty penny. If you happen to own some of these titles, I recommend keeping them. I happen to own the Halloween Atari 2600 game and the Friday The 13th Nintendo game and I do not intend on letting them go. Reach out and let me know if you have played any of these games or if you know of any other retro slasher games that are worth discussing.

Christian Romano