Slayaway Camp
- October 25, 2016
- Blue Wizard Digital
- 3h median play time
Slayaway Camp hits checks all the boxes and will slash its way into your heart.
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Slayaway Camp" is a puzzle game that lets you play as a psycho slasher killing campers in a gruesome tribute to 80’s horror, with over 140 levels across 11 tapes, and more to come. Critics call it a "brutal" and "bloody tribute" to vintage horror, with "smart" and "addictive" puzzles. The game is known for its over-the-top violence and dark humor, making it a unique and entertaining experience for horror fans.
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Reviews
- Slayaway Camp combines clever puzzle mechanics with a humorous homage to 80s slasher films, making it a unique and entertaining experience.
- The game features a wide variety of challenging puzzles that gradually increase in difficulty, keeping players engaged and entertained.
- The charming voxel graphics and over-the-top gore animations add to the game's appeal, creating a fun and lighthearted atmosphere despite its dark themes.
- Some players may find the hint system unhelpful, as it can provide vague guidance or reveal the entire solution instead of offering incremental hints.
- The grind for in-game currency to unlock new killers and gore packs can feel repetitive and tedious for some players.
- The game's controls can occasionally feel laggy or unresponsive, which may lead to frustration during more complex puzzles.
- humor101 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever blend of campy slasher film references and dark comedy, making it both entertaining and engaging. Players appreciate the hilarious animations, witty puns, and the overall lighthearted approach to violence, which adds a unique charm to the puzzle-solving experience. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter while delivering challenging gameplay, making it a standout title for fans of both horror and humor.
“I love the game's unique concept and the way it blends horror and humor.”
“Definitely a hilarious ode to campy 80's slasher movies and an enjoyable play and replay.”
“The humor of this game is spot on with the cheesiness of 80's slashers, and almost everything is a comedic homage to them or other well-known horror movies.”
“In a world of indie games with lame, cringey humor, Slayaway Camp is actually as funny as it thinks it is.”
- gameplay91 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this puzzle game is characterized by its simple mechanics that evolve with each chapter, introducing new challenges and unique interactions that keep players engaged. The combination of humor, horror movie references, and increasingly complex puzzles creates a fun and addictive experience, with over 300 levels that encourage exploration and experimentation. While the core mechanics are straightforward, the game effectively maintains a consistent difficulty curve, ensuring that players remain challenged without feeling overwhelmed.
“Now what makes this game so great besides the parodies of horror movie tropes is within the game mechanics itself.”
“The gameplay itself, however, is easy to understand and very challenging to master.”
“The introduction of mechanics is well-paced, and each of the game's levels (styled as the sequels of this horror movie franchise) has its own little arc that ends on a comparatively difficult level surrounding the use of some environmental murder device.”
“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.”
“You will almost always die several times learning how the mechanics work before completing the puzzle.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a charming blocky, voxel art style that combines retro aesthetics with a cute yet gory theme, effectively balancing humor and horror. While the simplistic visuals may initially seem off-putting, they enhance the overall experience, making it accessible even on lower-end hardware. Players appreciate the unique art direction, which complements the challenging puzzles and adds to the nostalgic slasher movie vibe.
“The voxel art style is rather cute while also leaving enough to the imagination for how much brutality occurs in the kills, plus with such graphics, a crappy laptop could actually run a game like this.”
“The campy, 80s horror theme coupled with the blocky, Minecraft aesthetic makes the over-the-top gore as cute as it is amusing.”
“The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay is absolutely addictive.”
“The graphics are rather pixelated, but it works great as it adds to the atmosphere and feel of the 80's horror movies it tries to emulate.”
“I typically can't stand games with these sort of blocky, 8-bit 'retro' graphics, but there's an exception to every rule and this one's it.”
“Much to my surprise, however, there's a very good puzzle game in here under the simple cubist graphics and cheesy-just-to-be-cheesy farcing of the 1970s-80s ultra-campy slasher/splatter movies.”
- music50 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its excellent integration with the gameplay, featuring a nostalgic 80's horror vibe that enhances the overall atmosphere. Many players highlight the catchy main theme and the engaging soundtrack, which includes both ominous tunes and fun, humorous tracks that fit the game's quirky style. Overall, the music is considered a standout element, with some players even purchasing special editions just for the soundtrack.
“The sounds and music are excellent and blend the game's levels together nicely.”
“I absolutely love the retro 80's horror soundtrack to this game!”
“The music gives you that old-school horror movie vibe and all the sound effects are rather amusing as well.”
“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.”
“I mean, you even get a horrid hippie-style song as the main theme in one of the game's most memorable puzzles!”
“Sure it's got those stereotypical (and very well done) horror underscores, but it even remembers to include the cheesy 80's rock songs that accompany every slasher movie ending credits.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and excessive, particularly in relation to unlocking collectibles and achievements. While the puzzles themselves have potential, they are often overshadowed by the repetitive nature of grinding for resources, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and freshness of the gameplay experience. Many reviewers express that the need for extensive grinding can make the game feel monotonous and less engaging over time.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The only thing that was a bit too much was the coin grinding for the mystery boxes and gore packs.”
“One of these is that getting all of the unlockable cosmetics (the gore packs for more variety in the close-up kills, and additional killer skins) takes a lot more grinding than is necessary.”
- story11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is a humorous take on the 80s horror genre, providing an entertaining backdrop that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. While not deeply complex, it keeps players engaged with its quirky narrative and unlockable content, including deleted scenes that expand the gameplay. Overall, the story adds a fun layer to the gameplay, making it more enjoyable for fans of the genre.
“The difficulty is a bit challenging but not frustrating (with hints and answers if you are too stuck with it) and the whole puzzle is so awesome to play because it has a story.”
“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.”
“For an under-$10 indie game, it has a ton of content (hundreds of puzzles), but if you want to just do the main story content, it won't take you more than 8-10 hours.”
“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 in that story!”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its effective emulation of 1980s horror films, enhanced by pixelated graphics that contribute to its nostalgic feel. Players appreciate the eerie ambiance, stylish presentation, and engaging music, although the unsettling tone may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game a recommended experience, especially for fans of the genre.
“The atmosphere is really well set, and this game runs cheap on sale; definitely recommended.”
“It has a great atmosphere, making you feel like you're really in one of those cheap horror movies from the eighties.”
“The overall atmosphere of the game is eerie, so it probably won't be for everyone.”
“Very stylish too; all the quick camera cuts between scenes and kills add to the atmosphere.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Replayability varies significantly among users; some find limited replay value unless they are puzzle enthusiasts, while others highlight substantial replayability due to multiple levels, challenging content, and additional harder versions unlocking after completion. Overall, many players appreciate the extensive content and humor, suggesting a strong incentive to revisit the game.
“Not since Shovel Knight and Road Redemption have I played an indie game that has such high replay value.”
“The amount of content is big, especially for $8. I'm in part 5 (every part is between 12-24 levels), and I think there are at least 8 parts, and I'm pretty sure more are coming. Plus, there are some side activities and a high replay value.”
“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!”
“Lots of replay value.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its impressive stability, with many users noting it is largely free of significant bugs or glitches. However, some minor UI issues were reported, such as tooltips obstructing text and a specific bug related to purchasing items. Despite these small concerns, players appreciate the game's reliability compared to other titles in the market.
“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).”
“In a Steam universe full of buggy, broken AAA titles, abandoned early access games, and developers selling DLC for games they haven't even finished, it's so refreshing to see a game that does what it sets out to do almost perfectly.”
“Sometimes I have tiny glitches, but I'm just nitpicking.”
Critic Reviews
Slayaway Camp Review
With the upcoming Friday the 13th: The Game and Dead by Daylight, slasher flicks are getting more attention than they usually do in games. In steps Blue Wizard Digital’s Slayaway Camp – a different, more blocky slasher game.
80%Slayaway Camp Review - PS4
I had a blast playing through Slayaway Camp. A simple puzzle game that lets me play through some of my favorite horror movies and franchises. The blocky graphics have a great charm to them even though it sometimes gets in the way of the kill animations.
90%Slayaway Camp Review
There's something truly special about Slayaway Camp. What could have been a one-note gag instead manages to be a hilarious, charming, and ingenious puzzle game. Actually stopping to write this review was incredibly difficult; the game is just that addicting. There's something new around each corner, with numerous unlockables and dozens of levels. Plus, new content is still being added, with the developers demonstrating some true passion for the project. It may be one-way only, but a trip to Slayaway Camp should not be missed.
90%
