Have a look at some Friday the 13th pre-alpha gameplay

Friday the 13th

The Kickstarter for Friday the 13th: The Game wrapped up, entirely appropriately, on Friday the 13th having raised nearly $824,000, well beyond its $700,000 goal and more than enough to ensure that when Jason Voorhees crushes your head like a nut, eyeballs will pop. Like, literally. We don't actually get to enjoy any of that eye-flying action in this quick bit of prototype gameplay footage, but it does give us a very rough idea of what the game's asymmetric multiplayer action is going to look like.

The pre-alpha footage was released over the weekend by developer Gun Media as part of a Kickstarter update that, as a non-backer, I cannot see. (Yes, I continue to be annoyed by this.) Fortunately, the description on YouTube provides a bit more information on what the video contains, and perhaps more importantly, sets the bar appropriately low.

"This is a RARE glimpse into a game development prototype build that we're using to test and prove out gameplay design concepts," it says. "All of the assets, character models, animations, etc... are temporary assets, put in place so we can test in a reasonable context. The art, sound effects, music and gameplay are not final by any means and are not indicative of what the game will look and sound like at release. We are focusing on fun first and foremost during the pre-alpha stage, and using this time to nail an authentic Friday the 13th experience featuring Jason Voorhees. Models, animation, UI/HUD, etc... will improve as the project moves forward."

It's hard to make out much of what's going on because the video is very dark, but the basics are clear enough: run, hide, try not to die. There's an interesting moment around the midway point when someone asks the soon-to-be-victim if he (she) has a weapon, reinforcing the idea that fighting back will be an option in the game. Not necessarily a good option, obviously, but probably better than just holding still while a masked maniac from the slow reading group buries an axe in your skull.

Thanks, VG247.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.