What’s better than plotting revenge against the teenagers who let you drown when you were a child because they were busy doing naughty things? Plotting revenge against the teenagers who let you drown when you were a child because they were doing naughty things, while on the go! Let’s dive feet first into Crystal Lake to check out Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition.
Gun Media and Illfonic’s Friday the 13th: The Game originally launched in 2017. While it had somewhat of a rocky start, it quickly launched into fandom with its gameplay. In the game, players take on the role of either a counselor trying to survive, or as Jason trying to kill camp counselors.
What makes Friday the 13th: The Game stand out compared to other horror games (such as Dead by Daylight) is the fact that they have such a strong license behind them. The care that Illfonic and Gun Media have put into this game is an absolute love letter to the Friday the 13th film franchise. I loved playing the game online with friends on my Xbox One and I am really stoked to have a “to-go” version as I primarily use my Switch as a travel device.
The Nintendo Switch port of Friday the 13th: The Game is being touted as the “Ultimate Slasher Edition” and comes with the game, all the DLC, and an exclusive poster. The DLC included are the costume packs, emote packs, and ALL THE KILLS for Jason; I don’t even have all the kills or costumes on my Xbox One.
Playing on Switch took a little getting used to due to the buttons being reversed on the Switch compared to the Xbox One. Once you remember those buttons though it flows smoothly and the controls are precise as they can be. Moving as Jason felt sluggish, but that is because Jason moves slow to begin with, making it feel like a deliberate design choice.
The visuals of the game take a bit of a hit for this version. While it’s an impressive looking game on the Switch, there was a slight visual downgrade for some of the cinematics and closeups for the characters. The cutscenes ran super smooth and I never experienced any stuttering. This was playing both in handheld mode and docked.
The sound is completely in tact for the game and the score comes in when it’s supposed to. All the characters sound great and hearing them chat among themselves is always a treat. Let’s not forget the amazingly breathy “ki ki ki ma ma ma” on the menu screen that will instantly resonate with any horror movie fan.
The game has a lot to offer people who maybe haven’t picked it up yet. Thankfully, if you don’t have Nintendo Online you can still experience an awful lot of single player content. You can play the game vs AI bots. There are specific challenges that you can play as Jason, and of course there’s the Virtual Cabin 2.0, a museum dedicated to the making of the game. If you get a chance, explore the virtual cabin as there are some secrets in there.
I wouldn’t say that Friday the 13th: The Game on the Switch is the best version of the game, but it is the most complete version for one price. The amount of content packed into the Ultimate Slasher Edition is a must have any fan. Plus, now you can kill time while waiting for the bus to summer camp.
For more information about Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition check out the official Nintendo listing. A physical copy of the game was provided for the purpose of review.
