Title – Evil Dead: The Game
Platforms – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC
Release Date – May 13th, 2023
Developer – Saber Interactive
Publisher – Saber Interactive
MSRP – $59.99
ESRB – M for Mature
Disclaimer – This product is being reviewed on the Xbox Series X. A review copy was provided by Saber Interactive Industries for the purpose of this review. This review may also contain spoilers for certain gameplay and story elements. Watch at your own risk, you have been warned. Gaming Instincts is an Amazon Affiliate and does gain financial benefits if you choose to purchase this product on this page.
A brand new take on the 4v1 multiplayer genre is finally here, and this time around it’s based on the Evil Dead movie franchise. For those who do not know, Evil Dead is a classic horror film directed by Sam Raimi that was released in 1981. It spawned a brand new series, sequels, and even remakes. The film has received praise for its ridiculous storyline (in a good way), gore, funny one-liners, and of course, Bruce Campbell, who plays the role of Ash Williams, the main character.
If anyone has played titles such as Dead by Daylight, then you know what to expect from this game. In Evil Dead: The Game, you play as iconic characters from the film’s franchise whose goal is to survive against a Kandarian demon. So what makes Evil Dead: The Game different from other 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer titles? Let’s take a deep dive into the review and find out.
The World of Evil Dead
It’s been quite a long time since fans of the series have recieved any kind of entry in the video game department. The last Evil Dead game that came out was called Evil Dead: Regeneration which was back in 2005. Fast forward now to 2022, and we have a brand new modern-day Evil Dead title. Who knew that the next Evil Dead entry in the video game world would be a 4v1 asymmetrical competitive and co-op multiplayer title? I don’t think anyone did, at least I didn’t. But with the popularity of games like Friday the 13th, which got shut down due to legal copyright licensing issues, and Dead by Daylight, it made complete sense for the Evil Dead to be the next on the list.
Evil Dead: The Game shines when it comes to its presentation. If you are a big fan of the lore, characters, and films, then you are in for a treat. You got awesome-looking character models, a catchy soundtrack, and iconic Kardavian demons from each movie, including Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Evil Dead: Army of Darkness. The game also has single-player missions that let you play certain parts of iconic lore moments, such as when Ash has to find his girlfriend’s head and bury her in a grave. Basically, if you are an Evil Dead fan, then there is a ton of adoring fan service.
The Interesting But Repetitive Gameplay
As the survivors, your goal is to run around the big open map and collect special map pieces to find the location of a Necronomicon page and a Kardavian dagger. Despite the large map size, the game tells you what area it is located in. Once you are in that area, you have to run around it to find the piece. After you find the three map pieces, you have to get the other two items displayed on the map. When you get to the page or the dagger and activate them, your team will be forced to stand in a large area and defend the page/dagger until it’s collected.
During this time, you’ll be fending off the demons and whatever the 5th player, who is the main Kardavian demon, is throwing at your team. Once both the dagger and the page have been collected, you have to find the keepers and focus them down while your team is being harassed by a bunch of enemies. Once the keepers are defeated, you then have to survive the last 2 minutes and defend the Necronomicon book from being destroyed while also protecting yourself. If you are successful, then the survivor team will win the match
Players can choose from a variety of survivors, including Ash Williams, Cheryl Williams, Lord Arthur, Henry The Red, and many more. These iconic lore characters are divided into class groups such as Leaders, Warriors, Hunters, and Support. As you can imagine, the Warriors are masters of melee and defense, meanwhile, the Hunters are all about ranged combat, the Support helps your group with healing, and the Leaders buff their group. Each survivor also has a special ability, different stats, and so on. During the match, you can level up and spend points on different things like your health, melee, or ranged damage for your weapons.
At first, the first few matches were a lot of fun, but by the time you hit your 5th or so match, the game starts to show its bad side. The whole loop of finding the first three map pieces is quite easy since the Kardavian demon doesn’t know where you are at the beginning of the match. Fending off the minions feels clunky and a tad disjointed. Despite the game’s smooth attack animations and movement, the melee and ranged combat feels somewhat discounted. The way the hits connect just feels strange and not polished. The camera is also too close to the character, making it hard to see what’s happening around you, especially when you’re surrounded by fellow survivors or a pack of demons. I wish the camera was pulled back just a few inches for a better viewing and navigational experience.
During your journey to finding all the items on the map, you’ll be ransacking abandoned houses and looking for different types of loot. Players will find a variety of weapons such as chainsaws, axes, swords, pistols, rifles, energy drinks, shields, and more. Weapons also have a different rarity to them, such as green, blue, purple, and yellow, similar to other loot-based games.
While doing all of this, the 5th player, who’s the Kardavian demon. will try to suppress your efforts and get your team down. The demon will do everything in his power to stop you, including things such as summoning basic and elite minions that attack your team. These minions can also be possed by the demon himself and be in full control of the player. The demon is very weak at first and must build up his levels and make his army stronger as the match goes on. He can do this by collecting infernal energy around the map, setting up traps, possessing the walking dead, and so forth. Just like the survivors, the demon can also level up and unlock different things, such as portals that allow him to spawn demons into the world. Depending on how you do as a demon, you will eventually unlock the ability to summon a boss minion that you take full control over and has special abilities.
There are also three different demon classes to choose from, including the Warlords, Puppeteers, and Necromancers. Puppeteers focus more on possession, manipulation, and teleportation. Meanwhile, the Warlord is a tank, doing damage, and debuffing the survivors. Moreover, the Necromancer is a harasser, buffing his minions with a skeleton that plays the flute while demons emerge from the portals. Overall, the game has different playstyles for its killer portion of the gameplay compared to other titles in this asymmetrical multiplayer co-op/PVP genre. However, my biggest complaint is that the demon gameplay is super slow at the beginning. The fun begins once you hit level 10, where you can spawn a boss minion and your demonic minions are more powerful by that point. The disconnected feel of melee combat also doesn’t help the game on either side. Either way, I do commend Saber Interactive for trying something unique and different with the killer. The Kardavian demon is not horrible, nor is it bad. It is just okay.
One nice addition is the solo missions I mentioned earlier in the review. These missions focus on certain lore parts from the movies. They’re fun to do at first and are challenging. Once you complete a mission, you will also unlock some extra goodies in the game, such as character skins. The core of the game is still all about multiplayer. If you are looking for a single-player Evil Dead game, I would not buy this game just for the solo missions. They are nothing more but a bonus addition.
Final Verdict
Overall, Evil Dead: The Game is a solid attempt at the asymmetrical PVP multiplayer genre that utilizes the movie license extremely well. If you are a fan, you’ll be happy. However, if you are looking for an amazing multiplayer experience, then sadly the game doesn’t quite hit the mark. The repetitive nature of the gameplay loop in every match, whether you are a survivor or a Kardavian demon, hurts my enjoyment of the game. The super close camera is too much and makes it hard to see where you are at times. In a game like this, it’s extremely important to be aware of your surroundings.
There are also some balancing issues between the survivors and the demon. For the majority of the game, it is a lot easier for the survivors to win, and it is far more difficult for the demon to put up a fight unless you know what you are doing with your build and can read the match room pretty well.
The game is best played when you have a team of good friends, but if you are throwing yourself into a bunch of random lobbies, then it will become repetitive super quick. Overall, I think the game is decent, but it needs some post-launch tweaking for the balancing and a lot of quality of life changes to get into a good spot. The foundation, however, is absolutely excellent, and if you are a fan of the killer versus survivors multiplayer game, then I highly recommend you keep your eyes on this title.
Evil Dead: The Game will be receiving a final score of 7.5 out of 10.
