After a couple of long evenings, I'm ready to give my verdict.
The game turned out well.
Yes, it's literally a polished and modified Friday the 13th. The only major differences is that it's fully playable from the first evening, isn't a piece of buggy code, and has a ton of content. It's fun, varied, and capable of giving you a ton of funny and even scary moments.
Cons:
— Mediocre optimization.
— A number of annoying bugs, from in-game ones during matches to progression errors.
— Lack of variety. Essentially, we have a short test- story run dedicated to Michael, and the same MP mode, but on four maps. In a closed single-player match, the presence of Civillian bots or a Myers bot (depending on the player's chosen role) is simply begging for.
— Lack of any tutorial when playing as a Civillian. We have an entire section of the menu dedicated to learning how to play as Michael, but there's no tutorial for the regular Civillian (even in a private game, as there's no bot Michael).
— Step-by-step challenges. The inability to complete challenges in parallel encourages a very stifling and time-consuming grind (since you can't unlock the item you need until you've completed the previous challenges SEQUENTIALLY).
Pros:
— Excellent graphics. Beautiful city views, detailed interiors. I especially appreciate the superb character design, which features "layered" models (the body itself, injuries layer, clothing layer).
— A large number of diverse activities in a match. Civillians can either just plain goof around (thanks to the proximity chat for both the killer and the heroes), organize a fightback, or make a desperate last stand, rescue NPC civilians or arm them and form a gang of vigilante militias. They can team up with police officers or even respawn as them (and we're not limited to just one summonable character, like in Friday the 13th). Furthermore, killed players can support their allies by completing minigames and summoning support cards.
— Progression in private matches. I'd like to highlight this as a special plus, because after the connection issues of the first few days, this became a real relief. You can easily gather a team of buddies and play a full game, earning full challenge progress and experience on your characters. There's no discrimination between public matches and private lobbies.
— Beautiful violence. Yes, that's a plus, because it's a Slasher. The voice actors did a truly magnificent job, and this is evident in the large number of character-specific lines and reactions to events, including groans and cries of agony. There aren't many finishing moves (yet), but they are well-designed, from the sounds to the effects on bodies.
— Progression. You want to touch each character and unlock something for them that suits your heart's desire. It's also great that by leveling up one character, you can unlock a useful item for all the others.
— Atmosphere. Yes, it's a trivial plus, but the game is made with great love and respect for the original film, where all the innovations are authentic and well-integrated. The classic music OST and sound effects are sometimes enough to make your hair stand on end or get you in the skin of the real Myers, the pure embodiment of Evil.
After playing for over ten hours, I can say with a clear head and a pure heart that I didn't want my money back. I had a great time, and I'm pleased that a hotfix was released almost within 24 hours of the pre-release, fixing the most critical and annoying bugs. I believe the initial hate was exaggerated and a result of frustration over the bugs amid high expectations. Yes, it slightly dampened the experience, but it didn't ruin it.
The developers are on the right track, and I'm looking forward to future updates and additions. The Halloween universe has a wealth of potential for future gameplay content, from new maps and modes to new survivors and Myers species.
