Friday the 13th officially came out, not on Friday the 13th but on Friday the 26th May. The much-anticipated PC game was finally released last Friday and as such, we are here to tell you if it is worth buying.
What is Friday the 13th about?
For those unfamiliar with the never-ending sequelitus films. Friday the 13th the Game is based on the original horror film. In the slasher/horror film, a murderer seeks revenge against those who should have protected him. We have been anxiously awaiting the release of this game for some time having reported on this not long ago. The film series came to be known for a few things, its violence, creative means of killings and of course it’s seminal character, Jason Vorhees. Sounds perfect for a game right?…
The game was successfully funded via Kickstarter and amazingly, for an indie game, received the official endorsement of the film license.
So, is it any good?
Friday the 13th, for myself, has received a colossal ‘meh’. While the game never promised much (the films don’t either), I feel that it has failed to deliver even on its very light payload. Now, let me be clear, the game IS fun. However, it does suffer from some fundamental issues that make the whole experience a bit of a letdown.
Firstly let’s address the positives here.
- The game looks very impressive.
- The character design and levels are good.
- The concept has been well executed.
- Sound and voice work is good.
- Cutscenes kill are amazing.
Here comes the bad.
- A number of glitches remain (even after an emergency patch).
- The amount of content is woefully little.
- Does not warrant the full £30 price tag.
- It feels VERY unfinished.
While the beta was much praised for the direction it was going, unfortunately, the final product is short of the mark. I rarely see a bad release recover. I can’t help but feel that in the rush to release this they decided to cut a lot of corners. A habit more associated with mainstream developers.
Should I buy it?
No, at least certainly not for full price. In its current form, this game should be a £20 tops title. The fact that this is supposedly a final release is frankly simply not true. This game is very firmly still in beta. If it was £20, you might be able to forgive the problems, but it’s not, it’s £30 and for PC that’s for all intents and purposes a full price game. I would honestly recommend if you are interested in this game to resist the compulsive purchase.
Wait a couple of months for 2 reasons.
- To see if they fix some of the more intrusive bugs.
- To see if ANYONE is still on the servers.
Overall thoughts
Friday the 13th appears rushed to release and simply not quite ready. A failed launch often equals an overall disappointing title down the road. It can be fixed, but the clock is ticking. If you’re after a similar game, ‘Dead By Daylight’ is superior in every way. This very much falls into the category of another Kickstarter than promised much and has delivered little.
6/10 – Wait to see if this gets better or just get ‘Dead by Daylight’.
£30… In DK it’s £37
I think people should be patient and wait for the server issues to be fixed before reviewing. I don’t think it was rushed as the bugs people speak about are exaggerated. I just think they’ve been caught unawares with how popular it’s been. I bought it on Friday and have only managed to play 6 games. I’ve really enjoyed it, as I thought I would. It really captures the aesthetic and atmosphere of the movies.
They’re releasing a single player campaign soon, too, for no extra cost, so I don’t think the £31 I paid is too much. I could have paid the same for Rime, which is only 6 hours long. I’ll get far more entertainment out of F13. If they sort the connection problems.