By KEVIN HOOVER

Rare is the air within the modern horror video game market that isn’t stifled with asymmetrical titles. Despite catcalls from gamers to “just give us a single player story!”, developers have consistently exploited the design of online-only multiplayer games tethered to beloved franchises. To those dev’s defenses, leaning into what has proven to be commercially successful isn’t the wrong call – at the end of the day, gaming is still a business. Businesses need money to keep the lights on, and as long as gamers are willing to financially fuel their diabolical digital fantasies and murder their friends online, then studios will gladly keep building those killing fields.

However, several weeks ago, something peculiar poked through all the asym noise: Boss Team Games (coincidentally, publisher of 2022’s Evil Dead: The Game) and WayForward Technologies (the upcoming Clock Tower: Rewind) announced they’d be releasing not one, but two new titles based on famed horror properties, and gamers instantly took notice for a handful of reasons:

These were 16-bit stylized renditions of John Carpenter’s Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead.

They were side-scrolling platformers.

There was nary a multiplayer component discussed.

Titled RETROREALMS: HALLOWEEN and ASH VS EVIL DEAD, early press emphasized the crossover potential between the two universes. At PAX West 2024, RUE MORGUE was invited to a hands-on demo ahead of the games’ October 18^th release. Having spent an hour of playtime while executive producer Tim Hesse and game director and designer Mike Herbster provided insight into the developmental process, fence sitters should take heed: these are games made by horror fans, for horror fans. And there’s a bloody good time to be had.

The amount of fandom that drove the direction of RETROREALMS is unmistakable and not strictly confined to the licensed IPs themselves. The game begins with a first-person POV that leads players through an arcade-stylized museum. There’s a lobby with a CRT TV, VCR and a bookshelf full of VHS tapes that serve as a dev diary. In the back of the building are rooms that house glass cases that eventually fill with props and dioramas of game scenes, unlocked over time by collecting tickets, one of the many instances of in-game currency. The whole experience will resonate with anyone who’s been through Friday the 13^th: The Game’s virtual cabin.

After a brief period of exploring a handful of dioramas, Ash’s chainsaw and an empty case where the boomstick shotgun (licensing, folks) will eventually materialize in the finalized version, it was off to play the games themselves. Each is housed in an old-school arcade cabinet, and irrespective of which you choose to play, both feel fundamentally similar to one another. Anyone who has ventured through the Mushroom Kingdom will know exactly what to expect as it relates to gameplay mechanics. For those who didn’t cut their teeth on Super Mario Bros., generous in-game cues and reminders will have you on your way pretty quickly. Expect to run, jump, wall kick and slide through the streets of Haddonfield and Elk Grove, Michigan with gusto. The background of Ash’s trailer park is rife with Deadites banging on doors and doing their damndest to swallow NPC souls. Parallels to NES-era Castlevania games (which Herbster fondly admits to being “our North Star”) are instantly recognizable the first time a floating eyeball knocks a character off a ledge and into the abyss.

Four characters will be available at release: Michael Myers and Ash are immediately available to all who buy the game; Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell are pre-order bonuses (although both will also be made available as purchasable DLC). Each play with their own set of upgradeable skills and can be buffed with extra health and additional attacks as stages are completed. And the characters play exactly as they should: Myers is a slow-moving tank; Laurie is quick, nimble and comes imbued with a double jump mechanic and a Scrooge McDuck DuckTales-inspired pogo attack. Collectibles are a-plenty’, with pages of the Necronomicon, jack-o’-lanterns, candy corn and more littered about.

While each game has its own stages and callouts to their respective franchises, the most interesting aspect is the crossover element. Ever been curious to see Michael impale a Deadite at the end of his knife? Now you can. Both games share the same universe, with the overarching “Overlord” serving as the Big Bad, but each character has their own dialog and other exclusive story elements that ratchet up the replay factor. And, while not available during the early preview, a leaderboard will let players compare their individual scores against others. It’s a fun nod for those who remember trying to top the leaderboard on a favorite game at the local mall arcade.

RETROREALMS has a tremendous handle on its source material. Mike’s head tilt? It’s in there. Eli the bearded dragon? Leave the controller alone for a few seconds and he’ll scuttle right up to Ash’s shoulder. And expect a Donald Pleasence Dr. Loomis boss fight that’s as a tough as anything contemporary Donkey Kong Country titles have to offer. Halloween played as the more difficult of the two offerings, but both have checkpoints that prevent you from having to start the entire stage over when you die.

While both games will be made available digitally and for purchase individually at release, physical releases and a collector’s edition are currently available for pre-order and include various in-game and real-world bonuses, including a 12” Michael Myers plush. And having spent an hour of time with both games during PAX West, understand the follow two edicts to be true:

You’re going to want both games.

And an hour wasn’t nearly long enough.

See ‘ya on the leaderboards in October.