Slayaway Camp
Developer/Publisher: Blue Wizard Digital Ltd.
Platforms: PC/Mac
bluewizard.com
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
Slayaway Camp is a short and sweet game, so I will try to have this review follow that example.
The central idea behind the game is a simple one — but do not confuse simple with easy. It is a sliding block puzzle game, where you have to move a block in one of four directions on a playing board, going after other blocks to move and eventually eliminate, while avoiding various obstacles and hazards on the field of play. Sounds like a simple concept, and as I said, it is, but it can be fiendishly difficult at times. Like all good puzzle games, that’s by design, and no matter how crazy hard a board looks to be, there is always a logical solution. Finding that solution may take many tries, but when you at last figure it out, you feel like a genius, and who doesn’t love that?
What makes Slayaway Camp stand far above other similar puzzle games is its theme and setting. You see, the block you are sliding around is a killer based off of iconic baddies from classic horror movies. And you’re not just touching other blocks to complete a puzzle, those other blocks are your typical slasher fodder characters, and each touch results in a gloriously over the top kill with all the blood and violence eight bits of graphics can deliver. The whole game is drenched in wonderful off-kilter humor, and nods and winks to horror fans. The puzzles are broken up into groups, each spoofing the story of a classic 1980s fright flick, stored on VHS, no less. As you go, you collect coins that can be traded in to unlock new zany kills, and new “Hey I know what you did there” killers like the white-masked The Form, the hook-handed and bee-filled mouthed Sweetman, the hockey mask wearing Skullface, and so on. Wanting to see what new killer and what odd new way you can suddenly kill someone will keep you playing, getting coins, and cashing them in for more.
So if you are a horror fan and a lover of puzzles, Slayaway Camp is the goofy, fun, funny, challenging, and addictive game for you. Consider it highly recommended.
