RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash Vs Evil Dead Preview — Two classic IPs are brought to life in incredibly bloody and fun retro-styled adventures

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by RetroRealms to check out the first two worlds of both their upcoming horror IP based games, Halloween and Ash Vs Evil Dead, for a total of 8 levels of non-stop bloody carnage. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to play as Michael Myers and Ash in their respective retro-inspired adventures and couldn’t wait to strap on my trusty boomstick and knife and begin my journey.

While I am a huge fan of the Evil Dead series, I decided to take the reins of the uber-evil Michael Myers first, excited to see how well the Halloween series translates to a retro-inspired side-scroller, and thankfully RetroRealms did not disappoint. 

The game begins with Michael Myers sitting stoically in a cell in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium (I mean, how else would Michael Myers sit?) as chaos erupts outside his door. Soon he is visited by a mysterious being known simply as Overload, who tasks him with sowing hatred and despair in his name in exchange for being released. After taking Michael’s silence as an agreement, Overlord provides Michael the knife with which he attacked his sister so many years ago, along with the ability to enter into the Nightmare Realm at will and sends Michael on his merry way to wreak havoc.

The two levels I visited were surprisingly distinct, with the first taking place in a jail cell overrun by escaped inmates, and the second in Phelps Garage, a car shop in the desert where Michael Myers originally obtained his classic jumpsuit outfit from an unfortunate mechanic. Each world has two levels, with the second level culminating in an exciting and decently challenging boss fight. 

But I am getting ahead of myself, so let’s dive into the gameplay before going any further. Michael can slash enemies using his knife, or he can kill innocent bystanders to obtain a pitchfork or sickle capable of being thrown a set amount of times depending on your ammunition supply. Level design is highly reminiscent of retro titles, mixing enemies which slowly become more powerful as you progress and light platforming, which is surprisingly fun to navigate especially when mixed with the Nightmare Realm ability. Oh, and gallons upon gallons of blood. Seriously, killing enemies often results in blood splatters on the screen as enemies explode into chunky bits. It’s quite beautiful to behold the absolute carnage you inflict.

To help with navigating the levels, Michael is capable of crouching and dashing to pass through small openings. Michael also needs to utilize the Nightmare Realm to open up new paths, which is necessary to reach special objects hidden in each level, such as pumpkins and tickets, the latter of which are used to unlock various memorabilia from the series. Michael is also quite agile, allowing for wall jumps and grabbing of edges. Both necessary skills to master as levels become increasingly filled with challenging platforming sections and enemies to tackle.

Since I’ve mentioned the Nightmare Realm quite often, now is probably the time to explain what it is. The Nightmare Realm is an alternative version of the world you are in, which is triggered by a simple button push. While in the Nightmare Realm, new enemies will appear, along with new pathways. Jumping between the Nightmare Realm and the original world is essentially to obtain all special items in a level. The Nightmare Realm tends to be a lot more dangerous, with much stronger enemies, many of which can only be stopped for a moment, not killed. Making matters more intense is the time you can spend in the Nightmare Realm is limited by a meter you have, which quickly drains. If the Nightmare Realm meter expires while you are in an area unreachable during the original world well, have fun being ripped apart. Thankfully this is only a minor inconvenience, as you’ll simply lose some health and be returned to the last area where you could safely stand.

Throughout each level you will collect candy corn, which serves as the game’s currency, and health vials which restore your health. The candy corn is used at the end of each level to unlock various ability upgrades, including health, Nightmare Realm length, maximum ammo you can hold, and more. I found myself replaying levels repeatedly in hopes of obtaining enough candy corn to upgrade various abilities.

The two boss fights I encountered were both challenging and quite fun, with Phelps being particularly creative as he had a vehicle which continuously transformed, constantly throwing new challenges to overcome. After defeating him I found myself incredibly upset that my preview for Halloween was at an end, as I was more than ready to continue on my killing spree. To say that I am incredibly excited for the full release is an understatement, this is the Halloween game I always wanted to play, fast, fun, and bloody.

Next I booted up Ash Vs Evil Dead, ready to grab my boomstick and chainsaw and tackle some undead hordes. Again, RetroRealms did not disappoint. Ash Vs Evil Dead begins with Ash enjoying a nap in Mossy Haven trailer Park, when he is rudely woken up by the Overlord, intent on obtaining the Necronomicon. Ash refuses, forcing the Overlord to steal the book and run off, but not before dropping an eyeball capable of allowing Ash to invoke the Nightmare Realm. Ash grabs his chainsaw and shotgun, and takes off in chase of Overlord, determined to retrieve the Necronomicon.

Like Halloween before it, Ash Vs Evil Dead features a wonderfully realized world, with the trailer park bustling with undead ripping apart and chasing innocent citizens in the backgrounds as Ash cuts and shoots his way through increasingly challenging obstacles and enemies. Ash is equipped with his chainsaw arm as his primary weapon, along with knives and a fire bomb of sorts as his throwables. Additionally, he is capable of charging his attack to unleash a powerful boomstick shot and utilizing his chainsaw during a downward attack to bounce to high areas.

Gameplay is similar to Halloween in nature, with a great mixture of platforming sections, Nightmare Realm use, and boss battles being centered around characters from the popular Starz show. As you progress through the level you will pick up tickets to unlock collectibles outside the game, along with mixed drinks for health, and money to unlock new abilities after each level.

As expected, Ash Vs Evil Dead is sufficiently bloody, with Ash slicing and dicing his way through countless enemies as he chases after the Overlord. I found myself gleefully smiling as I caused chaos, all the while laughing at the fantastic background antics. When I stepped into the second world, I immediately felt nostalgic, as it brought to life the infamous cabin in the woods along with new enemies and obstacles to overcome.

Both boss fights I encountered were fun, and like with Halloween before it, I was happy to see each fight being distinct. While the first fight was a one-on-one showdown, the second involved a character throwing waves of enemies at you while you fought to survive and whittle their health down. 

Though Ash Vs Evil Dead and Halloween feature similar play styles, they are both incredibly different aesthetically, invoking both series in ways which will please fans. There are thrilling action sequences, fun platforming to navigate, and a difficulty that slowly escalates as you progress. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be immediately drawn in by the highly detailed retro-aesthetic, which fits both these IPs surprisingly well, and find yourself smiling dementedly as you bloodily carve your way through endless hordes of enemies and bosses.

Another cool feature included in both games is the ability to swap characters between games. You can run through Michael Myers’ world as Ash or through the Evil Dead world as Michael Myers, complete with new dialogue. While the core gameplay of each world doesn’t change, it is quite fun to replay as a new character. Additionally characters, including Laurie Strode, will be obtainable via DLC in the future. If this preview is any indicator, then RetroRealms has done a masterful job of bringing both of these ultra violent series to the video game format, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full builds of the game and see what other surprises lie in wait.

One final note. My impressions are limited to the Steam version of these titles and only the first two worlds of each game, meaning there are more than likely more weapons, enemies, and areas to encounter which have not been mentioned here. For more information on everything else included in the game, be sure to check out GamingTrend shortly before the official release on October 18th for our full review!

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