The Complete Video Game History of Freddy Krueger

The most talked about video game based on A Nightmare on Elm Street is still probably the very first one ever released. Published by LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the first Freddy game has players exploring various locations on Elm Street. The concept is to locate all of Freddy’s bones, as only then will you be able to destroy the Springwood Slasher.

What really makes the original unique is how it was one of the only NES games to offer 4-player support. With each of the players able to pick up dream abilities to use against Freddy as well, the game feels like an interactive version of Dream Warriors. Players were also prone to fall asleep in the game which would take them to the dream world, where Freddy’s powers would be increased and the enemies are much more dangerous.

Around the same time the NES game was released, another game based on A Nightmare on Elm Street was released for DOS and Commodore 64. This one actually includes everyone from Dream Warriors as playable characters, with each of them having their own special abilities. Whoever the player picks will then be tasked with finding Freddy’s house and saving everyone else.

Players start out the game in the small Ohio town of Springwood. The idea is to find Freddy’s house on Elm Street in the Dream World, then exploring its mazes within to save the souls of your friends. It’s not talked about as often as the NES version, but the forgotten PC game is interesting in its own way.

After releasing two official titles in a short span of time, Freddy Krueger apparently went back into video game hell just as quickly. It would be about two decades before there would be a new game based on A Nightmare on Elm Street. That came along in 2010 to coincide with the release of the movie reboot in the form of a browser game called Keep Her Awake.

What’s interesting about Keep Her Awake is that it’s basically an interactive movie using a real actress. The concept for players is to keep the young lady from falling asleep where she’ll fall victim to Freddy Krueger. Various methods are able to be used to achieve this, such as showering, taking Stay Awake pills, using electronic devices, and the ability to self-mutilate. Likely because of the controversial nature of that final option, the game was taken offline shortly after the movie’s release.

When the ninth Mortal Kombat was released in 2011, it brought back all of the fan favorite characters of the series. Even more returning franchise stars would come back in following DLC, but the developers wanted to include some fun characters too. This meant bringing in names from other major franchises as well, which saw the introduction of Freddy Krueger as a playable fighter for the game.

Fortunately, Robert Englund reprised the role by lending his voice to Mortal Kombat‘s Freddy. Unfortunately, it didn’t use his likeness. The unlockable character more closely resembles Jackie Earle Haley’s version from the 2010 reboot film. He also sports two razor-claw gloves rather than the one we normally see him with. Still, it is Freddy Krueger in a fighting game, and it was awesome to see his inclusion.

Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff is a simulation mobile game that lets players build their own version of Quahog, Rhode Island. As it’s based on Family Guy, it offers all of the main characters and locations from the show as unlockable additions to the town. Of course, in addition to characters from the animated series, the game sometimes brought in names from other franchises as well.

In 2014, the game put on a seasonal event for the Halloween season, offering some exclusive unlockables for players at the time. Those who managed to unlock him would then have Freddy permanently wandering the streets of their Quahog. Like other characters, he comes with his own tasks and animations, which includes hiding in Meg’s closet, playing “got your nose,” and grilling up shishkabobs.

When the next Mortal Kombat game was released following Freddy’s debut in the series, the dream demon was nowhere to be found. His arch-nemesis, Jason Voorhees, had replaced him as one of the unlockable fighters brought in from another franchise. However, when the mobile version of Mortal Kombat X was released, Freddy was once again included as a selectable character.

One key difference with this Freddy is that he goes back to wearing just one claw glove, as opposed to the two he wore in Mortal Kombat. For the purists out there, this was a nice change, as it made the character look much more like his movie counterpart. And, once again, it was awesome to kill people in a video game as Freddy Krueger.

The free-to-play indie game Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeyman is not an official video game, but it’s still worth mentioning as it was pretty popular upon its release. Developed over the course of nine years, the game is a Mortal Kombat style fighting game with a horror movie twist. It features 14 different playable fighters, each of them a character from prominent horror movie franchises.

Of course, Freddy Krueger is available in the game. Joining him are Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Michael Myers, Ash Williams, The Tall Man, Chucky, Ghostface, Matt Cordell, Candyman, Herbert West, Pumpkinhead, and Pinhead. Of course, each of them have their own unique special moves pertaining to the character. Because it’s obviously not a high-budget studio release, it’s not as polished as something like Mortal Kombat, but it’s nonetheless a fun and interesting game.

Wanna play Terrordrome? Just head on over to the official website.

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer game where one player controls a killer while four others play as survivors. The goal is for the killer to sacrifice all of the survivors to an unseen higher power. Those playing as survivors must evade the killer and fix generators to open an exit door if they hope to stay alive. The game comes with a default assortment of both killers and survivors, but several major horror movie characters have since arrived through DLC.

In 2017, Dead by Daylight offered a new content pack for A Nightmare on Elm Street. This introduced Freddy as a new killer, looking as he does in the 2010 movie. Nancy’s friend Quentin from that film is also included as a playable survivor. As per his special power, Freddy can put his victims into a dream state to make their survival that much more difficult. It’s certainly amazing to see Freddy still popping up in video games like Dead by Daylight – but what we’re really ready for next is a new official Nightmare on Elm Street video game.

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