Friday the 13th (1985 video game)

Friday the 13th: The Computer Game is the first game adaptation based on the films of the same name. It was released in 1985[1][2] by Domark[3] for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.[1][2] The game was released on floppy diskette and cassette tape. The player's goal is to find and kill Jason, while making sure his friends or he himself are not killed by Jason.[3]

Friday the 13th: The Computer Game[1]
Developer(s)Domark[2]
Publisher(s)Domark[1]
SeriesFriday the 13th 
Platform(s)Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum[1]
Release1985
Genre(s)Action-adventure, Survival horror[1]
Mode(s)Single-player[1]

Gameplay

The player can roam freely around the scenery and walk both inside and outside buildings. Jason, as well as other characters, do the same. It is the player's task to make sure his friends do not get killed by Jason, who often appears disguised as one of them,[1] unless he is hit once and becomes visible as a man dressed in black.[4] Various improvised weapons (e.g., a chainsaw, a pitchfork, a machete, etc.)[1] are scattered around the camp and inside various buildings such as a barn, a church and a cabin. Once picked up, they can be used to confront Jason.[3] There are five levels in the game and each time you play as another character. The character assignment is random at the start of the round.[1][3] The game uses an early pseudo-3D view along with a more traditional side view, depending on the character's location.[3] The game also features a "fear meter", in the form of a blonde woman's head with hair standing on end, to symbolize the player character's level of fright at the time.[3][5] Unlike the later Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title, the game included scenes of gore consistent with the film franchise.[3] For example, when a character is killed by Jason, sometimes there is a scream followed by a quick cut to a graphic image of a machete embedded into their head.[1][6][3] A similar startle effect would be used in the 1989 title Project Firestart.[3]

Reception

The game's main appeal was the obvious horror elements, which included atmospheric music and digitized screams.[5][6] Some criticized that it changed elements from the franchise, such as Jason being dressed all in black,[1] which has nothing in common with his appearance from the movies.[6]

The game received otherwise negative review, regardless of the platform. Zzap!64 gave it 13%,[7] Your Sinclair gave it 3/10, Crash 3/10 and Sinclair User 4/10.[8]

References
  1. Jeffrey Wittenhagen (2014). Hidden Treasures: Rare & Unappreciated Gems. pp. 19–23. ISBN 131201671X.
  2. "Friday the 13th: The Computer Game". IGN. Imagine Games Network. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  3. Bernard Perron (2018). The World of Scary Video Games: A Study in Videoludic Horror. Bloomsbury Academic. p. s 45, 223, 224 443. ISBN 1501316192.
  4. John Squires (August 21, 2014). "Remembering the 'Friday the 13th' Video Game That Time Forgot". Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  5. Bernard Perron, ed. (2009). Horror Video Games: Essays on the Fusion of Fear and Play. McFarland. p. 33. ISBN 0786441976.
  6. Judge Greg (December 1, 2014). "Friday the 13th for Commodore 64". Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  7. ''Zzap!64, issue 10, page 37
  8. "Your Sinclair, May 1986 YS5". Archived from the original on 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.