Ash Williams makes his triumphant return not with a new Evil Dead movie, but with Evil Dead: The Game. The Evil Dead franchise has always climbed an uphill battle as a cult classic worthy of greater mass appeal. This latest addition of a video game comes in the form of a sweet love letter to the entire franchise.
Evil Dead: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer shooter where a team of four grab their boomsticks and go up against a lone player taking control of hordes of deadites. The game takes notes from the most popular asymmetrical multiplayer title, Dead By Daylight, and shakes up the formula to provide a tailor-made multiplayer experience with the Evil Dead license. The game is chock-full of secret nods and references to not just the movie trilogy, but also the beloved TV series, Ash Vs. Evil Dead.
Many of the locations across the map are lifted from the series, especially the infamous Knowby Cabin, which also has the demonic deer head from Evil Dead 2 looming on the wall. Players can find a copy of Ernest Hemingway's iconic book A Farewell To Arms on a bookshelf, which is the same book Ash uses in Evil Dead 2 along with a tin can to trap his possessed and dismembered hand. It's a fitting title for his hand's demise.
Army of Darkness is constantly referenced, as the menus indicate every unlockable outfit is made by S-Mart, the grocery store that Ash turns out to be working for at the end of Army of Darkness. Players can even mess around with these kinds of references when playing as the Kandarian Demon who can summon flutist skeletons playing their bones as musical instruments like the ones seen in Army of Darkness.
These references go beyond Easter eggs, as they tie into the gameplay mechanics as well. The Kandarian Demon can booby trap supply chests to attack players with either Ash's possessed hand or an onslaught of tiny Ashes from Army of Darkness. The game embraces Evil Dead's sense of humor and lets fans step into the demon's shoes to taunt the survivors like the deadites do in the movies.
Shemp's Cola can be scavenged across the map for players to use as a healing item. This soda is a reference to Shemp's Beer from the Ash Vs. Evil Dead's fictional TV show, which is Ash's favorite, and he even appears in a fake commercial for the drink in a trailer for Season 3. Another item players look for is Pink F which is used to upgrade characters, so they can stand a better chance against the deadites. Pink F is another reference to Ash Vs Evil Dead, which is the name of a special drink Ash and his friend Chet make in Season 2, Episode 3. Ash will even reference Chet when players pick up Pink F.
Developer Saber Interactive is tweaking the systems to make each character's gameplay unique and accurate to their respective film personalities. Besides health, players need to manage their fear levels as the Kandarian Demon tries to separate and scare them. Otherwise, they will be overwhelmed with fear and can be possessed by the demon. Different characters have higher tolerances to fear -- even the different versions of Ash have varying degrees of tolerance. This means Ash from the first Evil Dead movie can be scared more easily than older Ash from Ash Vs. Evil Dead, who is more accustomed to fighting deadites.
The video game cleverly translates the franchise's narrative details into gameplay features. All of this barely scratches the surface of the countless subtle nods to the series that die hard fans will adore. Evil Dead: The Game is the best way for fans to gather around and embrace the campy fun of this cult classic series together.