Slasher games inspired by retro horror films have grown in popularity recently, especially with the announcement of Friday the 13th: The Game and the release of Dead by Daylight and Until Dawn. Slayaway Camp uses that same theme but puts a very different spin on it with a sliding puzzle game. Your goal is to move your killer around the board, killing everyone in your path without falling into traps, running out of moves or getting stuck. Since this is a sliding puzzle, your killer does not stop moving in one direction until they hit a wall or obstacle. Another factor that makes Slayaway Camp different is that it is so damn adorable.

Don’t let this cutesy art style fool you, though. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. As the levels get more difficult, it won’t be uncommon to replay a single level multiple times. Since our killer doesn’t stop until they run into someone or something, figuring out the correct order of kills or strategic moves really makes you think. Luckily, you do have an option to rewind your moves, buy clues or buy a level walkthrough with in-game coins that you earn. However, you may find yourself low on coins or wanting to save them for goodies (more on that soon). There were several levels that had me scrambling and rewinding, trying to resist the urge to spend.
Some of the traps that you will encounter are falling in holes, drowning, tipping over objects only for them to get in your way and getting caught by police. Also, as I mentioned, some levels require you to complete the challenge without going over a certain number of moves. Those levels had me raging the most, which caused me to overthink and lead poor Skullface to his demise over and over. Even with the frustration, I remained pretty amused by the characters, music and cutscenes.

With Slayaway Camp, gameplay is just part of the fun. There are unlockables that horror fans will rave over, such as videotapes with cover art closely depicting classic slasher films. You can also unlock gory deaths as well as other killers from cult films, including American Mary and Maskless Skullface (I think we all know who this is referring to…). These killers have their own kills and cutscenes, so it doesn’t start to feel generic. The kills are also worth mentioning because they’re surprisingly brutal and hilarious! Let’s face it- seeing a guitar playing hippie get beat to a pulp by his own guitar is pretty damn satisfying.

Slayaway Camp has some great talent involved all the way around. The game was a collaboration between PopCap Games co-founder Jason Kapalka (and designer of the ultra popular Bejeweled) and Ido Yehieli (Cardinal Quest 1 and 2), with visual and sound design by Nate Schmold (Cosmochoria). Horror icon Derek Mears, known best for his role as Jason Voorhees in 2009’s Friday the 13th, voices the character of Jessica (you read that right) while Mark Meer, know for his role as the beloved Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, voices Skullface.

If you just can’t wait to check out Slayaway Camp, there is a free version currently on Kongregate. But also be sure to check out the Deluxe Edition ($8.99) premiering on Steam on October 25th. This is a great price for such an entertaining game. The iOS and Android versions will be available soon.