Friday the 13th: The Game has now been playable for about six months since its release back in May, and we will take a look on just how much the game has changed since then. This game was made possible by a kick starter that generated about $1.1 million dollars from donations that were stimulated by incentives. Since its release, the game has made a lot of changes with the addition of DLC and upgraded game patches that we will review in this writing.

At launch, the game faced many issues that made a lot of the player base upset with the developers. Some of these problems included game crashes, map glitches, and inability to connect to other players. The inability to connect to online games was more critical in Friday the 13th because it is a multiplayer only game mode – for now. Once these issues were fixed over time, players were able to enjoy the classic horror story of slasher Jason Voorhees. A quick recap on how online games operate include:

• 8 players in a lobby (Max.)
• 1 player chosen at random to be Jason
• Players can chose between multiple counselors that have different attributes which allow them to perform differently based on the scenario
• 1 dead/escaped player comes back as Tommy Jarvis to help save remaining counselors.

Since the release, I have put many hours into this game and I can honestly say it is one of the most entertaining games I have played. For a price of $40, I would say it is well worth the investment. Let’s jump into the updates and new content we have seen added to the game since its release.

Patches:

With a release filled with bugs and glitches, Illfonic and Gun Media worked in a very timely manner to release patches that fixed a lot of the community problems. Glitches that helped players become invincible against Jason were removed which helped public matches from cheating players who were often seen performing these glitches. To help with these issues, there is a dedicated website link in which players can be reported for cheating. Players who are engaged in cheating online are subject to bans, as they should be. In recent months, I have not seen players in public matches use glitches to their advantage which results in a more fair and fun gaming environment.

Another small problem that was fixed with a patch was the ability to trap a counselor in isolated locations. I personally experienced being trapped in a room within a cabin that had no windows for escape, allowing the player to attempt to “troll” me by not allowing me out. An update fixed this issue to now let players move other players out of the way by walking into them, should a situation like that exist.

New Content / Updates

The first series of downloadable content were released as free additions to the game . We received a clothing pack, a retro purple Jason skin (only usable for Part 3 Jason), Small map variants of the 3 original maps, and new counselor emotes. The small map variants were a nice change of pace because they revamped the maps to be 40% smaller than the original, which led to faster paced games. Counselor emotes were a nice addition as well because it helped people without microphones communicate towards each other by using command emotes. There have been a few occasions in public matches where a counselor could not hear me, so I used an emote to show an action that indicated what I wanted to do. I really enjoyed these free additions.

Next, the game released its first paid DLC in a spring break clothing pack for counselors. This DLC was very reasonably priced at $1.99, and let players customize their counselor to wear beach themed clothing during matches. I really like how affordable they kept the DLC, and appreciate not over charging like other games do.

The next highly anticipated game additions came near October 13th (Friday the 13th!), as the Part IV Jason playable character was released, as well as the Jarvis House map from the Part IV movie. Along with the new map release, chances of rain have been added to all maps in public matchmaking. The chance of rain is randomly generated and effects the sound and visual portion of games. This content was free and available to all players. Players also received a new counselor (Mitch Floyd) with the update. A premium kill set for Part IV Jason was also released for a price of $2.99 in the marketplace to supplement the new release. Three of the four new additions were released as free content, which a lot of the community really appreciates from the developers. Free content for the community is always a positive attribute of a game, because it eliminates a divided player base.

Shortly after the October 13th content release, another free counselor (Fox) was added to the game, as well as a Halloween costume clothing pack for a price of $1.99. Also, an update was added to the game which showed the locations of items such as gas, the car battery, the boat propeller, car keys, and the phone fuse on the counselors map once the items have been picked up and dropped. This addition prevented players from having to find these objects if other players moved them from their original spot. I really feel this addition was needed in the game, as some players would drop or be killed with escape items that are crucial help for others to escape.

The official twitter account of Friday the 13th: The Game has released an up to date content release guide in which we can see the time frame of future content that will be added to the game. You can see the guide below:

Future Content:

As we can see in the content guide, this game has a bright future in having more exciting downloadable content. Between now and Christmas, we should have 4 new additions which will add single player game modes to this current multiplayer only game. After Christmas, many more additions are set to be added to enhance the playing experience. Other future content not listed on the guide includes a new level cap of 150, an increase from the current cap of 101. Dedicated servers have also been announced for the game, but the release date is tentative. I am most excited to find out the setting of the two new maps as well as the 2 new Jason variants.

Personal Thoughts:

The DLC has been a great addition to the game so far. The three small map variants are a lot of fun to play, especially in lobby’s that are not full with 8 players. The new rain addition also added a new dynamic to the game, which I genuinely enjoy. The only let down I have had is with the Jarvis House map. Sadly, I do not enjoy playing on this map due to the fact that it is much too big for counselors to explore and find the materials necessary to escape. Finding the parts to repair the car and boat are very difficult, and often lead counselors to death due to the timely process of searching the entire map. This map also does not come with a small variant, which i feel is much needed in order to enjoy playing this map. Although I was disappointed with how the game plays on this map, I do appreciate the fact that it was free to the community.

I really am impressed with how far this game has come for being released off of a kick starter. With a release price of $39.99 and cheap DLC, I am satisfied with my investment in purchasing Friday the 13th. I have spent countless hours playing this game with friends and have had so much fun doing so. The continued affordable and free content will keep me playing this game in the months to come. If you are a horror fan and love slasher type games, you should definitely purchase Friday the 13th: The Game.

Andrew