13 Days of Halloween: Game Review: Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle (Xbox Series X)

Essentially Slayaway Camp but with a Friday the 13th skin, Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle was developed and published by Blue Wizard Digital.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a puzzle game where you control Jason Voorhees on an isometric grid. Your goal is to turn the human characters into your victims. Doing this by sliding Jason around until you’re next to the character and able to deliver the killing blow. Or scaring them into killing themselves, laughing manically as they run to escape your clutches only to fall down a hole or get themselves electrocuted.

Across 150+ levels, it never gets old and thanks to the increasing challenge, it never gets boring. What begins simply enough turns into a head-scratching affair but one that is highly addictive. The satisfaction that comes with getting hold of the final character after working your way through a tricky puzzle is immense.

Part of that satisfaction and part of the reason it’s a fun game, is how it utilises the Friday the 13th tropes and isn’t shy about splashing the red stuff. It’s all quite cartoony but the sight of Jason stabbing characters in the head or ripping their arms off is delightful. There are a lot of murder and mayhem animations to enjoy. Your savagery encouraged by the dismembered head of Pamala Voorhees.

The main mode of the game is split into episodes and take place in a variety of locations. Some themed around the movies, others not. From campgrounds and icy ski lodges, to space and Manhattan, to London during Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror and even prehistoric times. Each new episode, unlocked when you finish the previous, comes with a Jason look that fits the theme.

Those aren’t the only unlockable items either. After all, Jason needs tools to dish out death and Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle has a lot to offer. Unlocked by increasing your blood lust which is done by killing characters. Admittedly, there’s no change to gameplay with the different weapons but you will see the occasional different animation depending on what you’re wielding.

In edition to the main mode, the game also comes with two others. Daily Death, which gives you a random puzzle to complete daily, Complete 13 days of daily deaths in a row and you’ll unlock a new Jason skin. The other is Murder Marathon and has you trying to reach the highest score possible by completing murder animations over and over again. A fantastic way to increase your bloodlust quickly and unlock a ton of weapons.

These are the ‘nice to haves’ as the main mode of Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle is more than worth the asking price. Killing a bevy of animated characters has never been so much fun.