Savage Halloween
- October 26, 2020
- 2ndBoss
Get on SteamIn "Savage Halloween," monsters from the afterlife have taken over the world, and farmer James, now undead and armed, leads the resistance to send them back. Joining him are Lulu, a werewolf with an identity crisis, and Dominika, a dark lord's daughter longing for home. Together, they must crash the monsters' 24-hour Halloween rave and restore peace to the earth.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Entertaining retro platformer with a nostalgic Halloween theme, featuring great art and music.
- Challenging gameplay with varied levels and fun boss fights, offering high replayability.
- Tight controls and multiple character options enhance the gameplay experience.
- Controls can feel awkward and unresponsive at times, especially during shooting.
- Some levels are overly long and lack meaningful challenge or interesting mechanics.
- Weapon selection is underwhelming, with many power-ups feeling situational or ineffective.
- music34 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its enjoyable and fitting soundtrack, which blends modern elements with a nostalgic feel. While many players appreciate the fun and engaging tunes, some noted that the music can become repetitive quickly, suggesting that longer loops would enhance the experience. Overall, the soundtrack complements the gameplay well and adds to the game's charm.
“The music is fun, and not repetitive.”
“Soundtrack is awesome; wish there was a way to purchase it with the game.”
“The music also gets repetitive quickly.”
“It's cool, and actually pretty fitting, but I can't help but feel that if the music was another 30 seconds to 1 minute of looping, it would be much more appealing.”
“While the soundtrack would not be considered retro, I still really enjoyed it and the music complemented the pace of the game.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-received, offering a nostalgic NES feel with rewarding and fluid mechanics that reference classic platformers like Battletoads and TMNT. While the variety of characters, weapons, and environments adds freshness, some players note issues with unpolished level designs and a fluctuating difficulty curve. Overall, it strikes a balance between fun and simplicity, appealing to fans of retro-style games despite some minor drawbacks.
“This game utilizes a lot of game mechanics from the NES era, and it does it very well.”
“And the gameplay is rewarding and fluid.”
“The variety between guns, characters, and environments made gameplay feel whimsical and fresh.”
“The Halloween theme is nice, but the actual gameplay is just a bit too vanilla for me.”
“Great soundtrack, nostalgic aesthetic, simple gameplay - maybe not for everyone.”
“Gameplay overall is fine.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their nostalgic NES-inspired art style and Halloween aesthetic, which many players find appealing. However, some users note that certain enemies and objects can be difficult to distinguish from the background, particularly regarding interactive elements like spikes. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, despite minor clarity issues.
“Great art style, tight controls, good difficulty progression.”
“I love the art style.”
“The game has a cool Halloween aesthetic set in a world where Dracula has decided that he's not re-opening the portal that's normally opened up for one night each Halloween.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by entertaining boss fights and well-developed, comedic characters, contributing to an overall fun experience.
“Now here's a fun and funny boss fight to gnash on!”
“The characters are great and funny.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Savage Halloween is praised for its lack of grinding, making it more accessible compared to games like Mega Man Zero and Gunvolt. Players find it simpler and easier to engage with than Cuphead, which features a more tedious world map and equipment unlocking process.
“Savage Halloween doesn't require grinding like Mega Man Zero or Gunvolt.”
“Savage Halloween is more simple and easier to jump into than Cuphead, which has a tedious and slow world map and requires unlocking various equipment.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through its normal mode, which encourages players to achieve high scores, while the hardcore mode presents a significantly tougher challenge that can appeal to dedicated gamers seeking endless replay opportunities. Some users suggest that additional enemy spawns could enhance the challenge and replay value further.
“The normal mode offers a good challenge with replayability in seeking a high score, while the hardcore mode is definitely very challenging, if not frustratingly hard, and can offer endless replayability for the super game-freaks!”
“If you had more spawns behind the player like they have in Contra, I think it would give the game more challenge and replay value (if not in the main game, maybe it could be another difficulty mode).”
“If you had more spawns behind the player like they have in Contra, I think it would give the game more challenge and replay value. If not in the main game, maybe it could be another difficulty mode.”
- story2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story is anticipated to be engaging, drawing inspiration from classic retro platformers with a Halloween theme. Players express excitement about diving into the narrative, which evokes nostalgia reminiscent of beloved titles like "Ghosts & Goblins," "Wonder Boy," and "Mario."
“This game is a great retro platformer with a Halloween theme. I can't wait to get into this story!”
“This game reminds me of 'Ghosts & Goblins', 'Wonder Boy', and 'Mario'.”
“Time to get my PC and arcade stick out and flashback to a time when the neon was bright and I was young!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be a wholesome experience, particularly enjoying the emotional resonance of the riding stages, which contribute to a warm and uplifting atmosphere despite its short playtime of around two hours.
