Friday the 13th: A Look at Jason’s Video Game History

Hitting store shelves in 1986 and published by Domark, Friday the 13th: The Computer Game was released on floppy diskette and cassette tape for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Players will take on the role of a camp counselor at Crystal Lake, tasked with protecting the other counselors while avoiding Jason Voorhees. Offering an open world campground to explore, there are five levels in total, with players controlling a different character for each one.

Taking a page from Roy Burns in A New Beginning, this game’s Jason will disguise himself as a counselor to fool the player. Only when he’s hit will he be revealed as Jason, depicted in this game as a man in all-black clothing with no hockey mask (?). While criticized upon its launch, horror gamers still appreciated the graphic imagery shown when counselors are murdered, as well as some of its more ambitious elements. Considered Abandonware, the game can now legally be played for free online.

The official Friday the 13th game for the NES is much more well known than its predecessor. Released in 1989 by LJN, the ambitious horror title was unlike any other NES game and could be considered ahead of its time. Switching between six camp counselors, the idea was to look for weapons around the camp to stop Jason Voorhees from killing the children (and your friends). By offering permanent death of its various characters, frightening run-ins with Jason, and the creepiest video game music in existence, the game was legitimately horrifying at the time.

Like other LJN titles, this game has been met with scathing criticism from certain temperamental reviewers. However, many fans of the franchise still carry a nostalgic love for it. The game’s purple-and-turquoise Jason has since been recreated for a Funko POP!, a NECA action figure, and as a skin in Friday the 13th: The Game. Kane Hodder even dressed up for the part for a Monster Mania convention appearance, offering fans the chance to get photo-ops with the real “Retro Jason.”

Following his Nintendo appearance, Jason Voorhees would step away from the world of video games for nearly two full decades. He would finally return to a digital version of Camp Crystal Lake when Xendex released an officially-licensed Friday the 13th mobile game in 2007. Mostly forgotten to time, the game is no longer available to download on mobile devices, and many fans are still completely unaware of its existence.

Described as an action/adventure game, there’s not much information online about this title, other than its basic plot details. Like the other games, players control a camp counselor, this time setting up the camp for its first summer weekend. When an “unknown killer” begins to attack the group, players are tasked with solving the mystery and surviving the night. While it didn’t make much noise at the time, it certainly sounds interesting, but it seems most of us will never get the chance to play it.

For now, the officially-licensed Friday the 13th games would take a break lasting many years, leading to fans to develop their own titles. In 2007, Havoc Games would release a free-to-play PC game called Friday the 13th 3D, described as an action game featuring 3D graphics. For the first time, the game lets players take control of Jason Voorhees, wandering around Camp Crystal Lake and murdering counselors along the way. Its simple goal is for the player to kill everyone in the camp in an attempt to achieve the highest score possible.

Filled with fun Easter eggs, the game is entertaining to play, despite its expected bugs. As of now, it’s the only video game (fan-made or otherwise) to also let players control Mrs. Voorhees. Although it was free to play when the game was released, the developer’s website has since gone down, leaving the game now unavailable to download. However, gameplay footage can still be found over on YouTube for those curious to see how it plays.

With the next official Friday the 13th game still years away, developer JC Powell would easen the burden of the wait by releasing this free-to-play game in 2013. Players will control a camp counselor once again, exploring Camp Crystal Lake to look for various items to aid your survival. With gameplay similar to Slender, players will lose if their fear meter gets too high, which will happen if Jason Voorhees gets too close. The idea is to maintain as much distance from Jason as possible to survive the long night at “Camp Blood.”

Of course, there’s plenty of footage of YouTubers working their way through this game, and a trailer video can be found online as well. Those curious enough to try it for themselves can still download it over at Fridaythe13thFranchise.com.

In 2015, Jason Voorhees would emerge from Crystal Lake to make his way back into an officially-licensed video game appearance. The fighting game Mortal Kombat X would include Jason as one of many special guest characters to be added to the game as part of a DLC pack. Predator from Predator, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a Xenomorph from Alien were included as guest fighters as well.

While not an actual Friday the 13th game, the title gives Jason the chance to find new victims, giving him his own unique fatality moves to deliver at the end of each battle. It would set the stage for the legendary murderer to soon enough get his very own video game once again.

The same year Jason would appear in Mortal Kombat X, Mrs. Voorhees’ baby boy would also show up as a fighter in a fan-made fighting game. The free-to-play Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeyman offers a wide assortment of horror movie legends for players to control, which obviously includes Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees. Other fighters in the game include Ash Williams, Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Herbert West, Chucky, Ghostface, The Tall Man, and Candyman.

Fans had been following the development of this game for many years prior to its final release. A sequel is now in the works from the same developer, and the interesting computer game can still be downloaded for free at the official website.

Finally, Jason Voorhees would star in his very own official video game once again when Gun Media and Illfonic released their multiplayer title, Friday the 13th: The Game. Featuring 1-on-7 gameplay, one player will control Jason Voorhees, with the goal of murdering every counselor in the camp. Those playing as the counselors must survive the night by calling the cops, escaping in a car or boat, or calling in Tommy Jarvis to take the fight back to Jason. With an incredible attention to detail, playing this game will fully immerse players as Friday the 13th characters, making for some tense and horrifying moments while playing.

While no new content will ever be added to the game, many gamers continue to play on a daily basis. Those looking for a solo experience can play as Jason to kill AI-controlled counselors or explore the game’s Easter egg-filled Virtual Cabin. For any major fan of the series, Friday the 13th: The Game is most definitely worth checking out.

Jason’s most recent video game effort is in this year’s Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. Developed by Blue Wizard Digital, the game was released both on Steam and mobile devices to excellent critical reception. As a puzzle game similar to Slayaway Camp, players take on the role of Jason Voorhees, killing victims by following specific paths in isometric puzzles. Including many of the depictions of Jason and various locations from the films, it’s very satisfying for big fans of the franchise, and lots of fun for any gamer.

Recently, the game was added to the Nintendo Switch library, marking the first time Jason has appeared on a Nintendo console since 1989. Whichever console you play it on, you’ll likely find it hard to put down, as its gameplay is very addictive. You can find out more info at the official website!