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Slayaway Camp

Slayaway Camp hits checks all the boxes and will slash its way into your heart.
Slayaway Camp Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
gameplay, humor
grinding, replayability
95% User Score Based on 623 reviews
Critic Score 84%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

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Slayaway Camp Game Cover

About

Slayaway Camp is a single player tactical turn-based strategy game with comedy and post-apocalyptic themes. It was developed by Blue Wizard Digital and was released on October 25, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Slayaway Camp is a killer puzzle in which the player controls Skullface, a psychotic slasher bent on slaughtering teen counsellors at the title campground. Depicted in colourful voxel graphics, the adorable murderer slides around isometric puzzle designs decapitating, squashing, and perforating blocky teen victims. It’s a diabolical logic game that also happens to be a bloody tribute to eighties t…

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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 623 reviews
gameplay38 positive mentions
grinding24 negative mentions

  • Unique and clever puzzle gameplay blending slide mechanics with 80s slasher horror theme
  • Charming voxel art style that balances gore with humor and nostalgia
  • Large amount of levels with gradually increasing difficulty and new mechanics introduced regularly
  • Engaging and well-paced learning curve with rewind and hint systems to aid players
  • Numerous unlockables including killers and kill animations add replay value
  • Humorous presentation and atmospheric soundtrack perfectly capture the campy horror vibe
  • Fair difficulty with challenging puzzles that reward planning and experimentation
  • Good value for content amount and ongoing developer support with new content releases
  • Unlocking cosmetic content and hints requires grinding a tedious mini-game, slowing progression
  • Late game puzzles can be very difficult and sometimes rely on trial and error
  • Kill animations get repetitive and some players may want more variety or to skip them faster
  • Mobile-style UI and controls can feel less intuitive on PC and the game has occasional minor bugs
  • Premise and gore may not appeal to all players, especially non-fans of horror or sliding puzzles
  • Some puzzles have only one solution leading to repeated restarts and possible frustration
  • gameplay
    166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Slayaway Camp delivers a clever and addictive sliding-block puzzle experience enriched by a horror movie theme that ties seamlessly into its mechanics. Each chapter introduces new gameplay elements—such as scaring victims, environmental traps, and unique enemy behaviors—that progressively increase challenge and variety, preventing the gameplay from becoming stale. While some find repetitive moments and occasionally unclear mechanics, the well-paced learning curve, abundant content, and humorous presentation create a fresh, enjoyable, and satisfying puzzle game for both horror fans and puzzle enthusiasts.

    • “The main gimmick is that the victims must be killed in a particular order in order to reach all of them and the goal, and often have to be manipulated by scaring them into running away or through various level mechanics like telephones and light switches.”
    • “The mechanics start simple but quickly evolve into brain-tickling challenges, with police, traps, environmental hazards, and even cats (which you're not allowed to kill—murder is fine, but don’t hurt the cat!).”
    • “As you progress, new and interesting mechanics are introduced. Things keep evolving and keeping interesting, and by the time the game is done, it has introduced quite a number of mechanics and used them in a variety of interesting ways.”
    • “The atmosphere can wear a little thin when you’re stuck and trying to brute force a puzzle, and the sole extra gameplay mode is just a shallow tool to get easy money to buy out the rest of the unlockables.”
    • “Slasher movies are one of my favorite guilty pleasures, but that was not enough to keep me going due to the core gameplay being what it is.”
    • “However, the game doesn't explain very well how some of the mechanics work or affect other mechanics, like how lights affect the cops or telephones affect cats.”
  • humor
    145 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Slayaway Camp is widely praised for its dark, tongue-in-cheek humor that parodies 80s slasher films with cheesy one-liners, campy gore, and amusing kill animations. The game's blend of gruesome violence and quirky, retro-inspired comedy creates a hilariously lighthearted atmosphere that many find entertaining and charming, though some note the humor can become repetitive over time. Overall, its humor is a key aspect that enhances the unique puzzle experience, especially for fans of horror and campy references.

    • “Kill animations are hilariously gruesome, but never disturbing, thanks to their tongue-in-cheek execution.”
    • “Despite its gruesome subject matter, Slayaway Camp doesn't take itself too seriously, injecting plenty of dark humor and campy references throughout the game. From cheesy one-liners to over-the-top kill animations, the game revels in its absurdity, making for a hilarious and entertaining experience.”
    • “One of Slayaway Camp's greatest features is its sense of humor and tongue-in-cheek approach to the subject matter, and watching all these little teens being slaughtered in shockingly brutal ways ends up being quite hilarious when you see it in all its blocky, pixelated glory.”
  • graphics
    106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features charming, blocky voxel graphics that evoke a nostalgic, retro horror movie aesthetic with cute yet gory visuals. While simple and pixelated compared to modern high-def titles, the style effectively balances dark humor and graphic violence, enhancing the game's quirky and campy atmosphere without being overly gruesome. Overall, the graphics are well-suited to the sliding puzzle gameplay, contributing heavily to the game's unique, entertaining vibe.

    • “The game's retro-inspired graphics pay homage to classic horror films, with pixelated blood and gore that add to the game's dark and twisted atmosphere.”
    • “The voxel art style is charming despite the gore—it’s like watching murder dioramas made from Lego.”
    • “The campy 80s horror theme coupled with the blocky, Minecraft aesthetic makes the over the top gore as cute as it is amusing.”
    • “I'm not talking visuals, obviously: this eyesore would be fully camouflaged inside Minecraft or on the facade of a brutalist building.”
    • “The kill animations lack any sort of substance or impact due to the graphics or how zoomed in the camera is.”
    • “I don't like the theme, I don't like the ugly Minecraft-esque graphics, I don't like the music, there's nothing that would keep me hooked to this, it's just a million variations of the same thing.”
  • music
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game is widely praised for its catchy, retro 80s horror vibe, with an excellent soundtrack by gnü truntion that perfectly complements the gameplay and atmosphere. While some find the music repetitive or forgettable, many highlight the main theme and ambient tracks as memorable and enjoyable, often considering the soundtrack a significant reason to purchase special editions or DLC. Overall, the music is regarded as a standout feature that enhances the nostalgic horror experience.

    • “The sounds and music are excellent and blend the game's levels together nicely.”
    • “I can't say enough positives about this, the awesome retro vibe, everything in voxel goodness and superb music.”
    • “The music is pleasantly ominous, and the recorded songs by gnü truntion are a ton of fun.”
    • “Most of the music is fairly forgettable, and the sound effects repeat enough to recommend turning audio off.”
    • “I don't like the theme, I don't like the ugly Minecraft-esque graphics, I don't like the music, there's nothing that would keep me hooked to this, it's just a million variations of the same thing.”
    • “The only downside that comes to mind is the soundtrack isn't the best but of course there's always the option to mute the music and play something else from iTunes or something.”
  • grinding
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s grinding aspect, especially for coins and certain achievements, is widely viewed as tedious and repetitive, often detracting from the puzzle-solving experience. While puzzles grow more complex, the repetitive nature and required money grinding for unlockables and extras can feel overly drawn out and frustrating. Some players appreciate the small level sizes and added mechanics, but overall, grinding is seen as a necessary but tiresome chore.

    • “I will say this game is probably best played in little bites, as the act of figuring out the puzzles can get a bit repetitive, if not tedious eventually.”
    • “The puzzles start off simple enough, but as the levels progress they add new and unique mechanics which make you really have to think. Earning coins to buy the extras is simple enough and not tedious at all.”
    • “I think the money grinding was especially terrible, just a really repetitive grind for those last few achievements made me really annoyed.”
    • “It was pretty miserable to finally finish all the puzzles in the game only to realize it didn't give me enough coins to buy everything, leaving me to either replay levels or grind an incredibly tedious minigame to collect the rest of the necessary cash.”
    • “One of these is that getting all of unlockable cosmetics (the gore packs for more variety in the close-up kills, and additional killer skins) take a lot more grinding than is necessary.”
  • story
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a lighthearted spoof of 1980s horror slasher films, providing a fun and humorous backdrop to its puzzle gameplay rather than deep narrative depth. While not intense or scary, the story effectively engages players by unlocking villains and extra content, complementing the challenging puzzles without overshadowing them. Overall, the story adds charm and motivation, especially for fans of the horror genre parody.

    • “The theme and story of the game spoof 1980s horror slasher films, which keeps the gameplay entertaining and adds a unique gimmick.”
    • “I personally believe that if it wasn't for the spoofing of the 80's horror genre, most people would lose interest in these types of puzzles; however, the need to see where the story goes as well as unlocking all of the villains and gore packs keeps you playing.”
    • “Once you finish a story (level), you get deleted scenes which are more levels to play within that story!”
    • “No story.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend it, but if you are into puzzles, endless puzzles without any kind of story around them, go for it.”
    • “Swapping out Jason for Skullface - a deranged groundskeeper with a face only a mother could love - your mission is much the same as in the previous title.”
  • atmosphere
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game effectively creates a dark, eerie atmosphere reminiscent of 1980s horror movies, enhanced by retro pixelated graphics, gore, and stylized camera work. While some find the atmosphere immersive and stylish, it may wear thin during difficult puzzle sections and might not appeal to everyone. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, well-suited for fans of classic cheap horror films.

    • “It has a great atmosphere like you are really in one of these cheap horror movies from the eighties.”
    • “The puzzles are challenging, the atmosphere is awesome, the music is great, and the gore is good enough to satisfy my thirst for it.”
    • “The atmosphere can wear a little thin when you’re stuck and trying to brute-force a puzzle, and the sole extra gameplay mode is just a shallow tool to get easy money to buy out the rest of the unlockables.”
    • “The overall atmosphere of the game is eerie, so most probably it won't be for everyone.”
    • “The game's retro-inspired graphics pay homage to classic horror films, with pixelated blood and gore that add to the game's dark and twisted atmosphere.”
  • replayability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability in this puzzle game is generally strong due to numerous levels, unlockable characters, and additional challenges like harder modes, offering hours of engaging content. While some users note limited appeal for those less interested in puzzles, many praise the variety, achievements, and added personality from unlockables as key contributors to its lasting appeal.

    • “With that out of the way, Slayaway Camp offers a lot of replay value.”
    • “You can also spend the coins you earn to purchase gory executions and new killers to play as, which adds more replay value to the game.”
    • “[B]tons of content:[/b] With hundreds of levels to conquer and a variety of unlockable killers to play as, Slayaway Camp offers hours of gameplay and replay value.”
    • “Since this is a puzzle game, there's little replay value, which means that most of the animations and killers will remain locked by the time you complete the game.”
    • “Not a ton of replay value unless you really love puzzles, but plenty of challenging content for the price along with neat achievements.”
    • “Even after you beat a single movie all the levels are replayable and if you beat all of them, a harder version will open up!”
  • stability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its strong stability, with very few bugs or glitches reported, making it a well-polished and enjoyable experience. Minor UI issues were noted but did not significantly impact gameplay. Overall, it stands out positively compared to many buggy or unfinished titles.

    • “Slayaway Camp is an enjoyable puzzle game that runs great and is well polished.”
    • “I found some minor UI glitches mainly in the options screen (tooltips cover the slider text, and there was a bug after the first scene where it wouldn't let me buy the baseball bat pack).”
    • “Less glitches???!??!?!?!?!”
    • “Decent puzzles -- rarely buggy”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization in the game is criticized for intrusive pop-up ads that disrupt gameplay, especially surprising for a paid title on Steam. However, players appreciate that many in-game cosmetic unlockables can be earned through gameplay rather than microtransactions.

    • “Those of you who miss when games had cosmetics you earned through gameplay instead of microtransactions will be quite pleased to hear that there's plenty of such unlockables in Slayaway Camp.”
    • “I'm surprised that the pop-up ads for Netflix and the game on Apple and Android are even present in a paid game, let alone on Steam. These pop-up ads lock you out of your controls, forcing a reset after every chapter.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is well-detailed, providing comprehensive system information and performance reports that help users understand how it runs on their hardware. This transparency aids players in assessing compatibility and expected performance.

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6h Median play time
7h Average play time
6h Main story
11h Completionist
2-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs
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Slayaway Camp is a tactical turn-based strategy game with comedy and post-apocalyptic themes.

Slayaway Camp is available on PC, Web Browser, Mac OS, Phone and others.

The main story can be completed in around 6 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 11 hours to finish. On average players spend around 7 hours playing Slayaway Camp.

Slayaway Camp was released on October 25, 2016.

Slayaway Camp was developed by Blue Wizard Digital.

Slayaway Camp has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Slayaway Camp is a single player game.

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