Just in time for the spooky season, two iconic horror franchises are getting the 16 bit platformer treatment.

And it’s quite interesting because the modern day genre is very much owned by Nintendo and games that try to mimic the vintage platformer style. Whereas back in the 16 Bit Era, we got grisly classics like Splatterhouse.

That’s probably a good frame of reference for both of these games, actually. Two games sold seperately or as a bundle, you can either dive into the world of Halloween as Michael Myers or go straight into Evil Dead with Ash and essentally chainsaw or bludgeon your enemies to graphic red death. Which you can turn off if you want to make this a bit more family friendly, but c’mon, we know the true experience here.

Neither game holds back in that department. Enemies implode in an explosion of blood, leaving splatter on the walls behind, gibs and entrails rolling across the floors. The blood even creeps down your TV set, giving this 16 bit inspired game a real grotty three dimensional feel. But enemies also drop money (and candy corns?) which can be spent in a shop between levels and a wider, interactive museum. I’ll get back to that.

The shops actually give you some nice permanent upgrades, like a health and ammo increase but you can also get some attacks for your characters. Myers, for instance, can get this nasty knife uppercut, but also get increased combos and slam attacks depending on how much of the game you complete.

While their stories aren’t particularly memorable, all linked to this cosmic evil being – creatively known as Overlord – that is linking all of these horror franchises together as part of its nefarious schemes, there’s some classic witty back and forth banter as you’d expect from Ash, and silent brooding as only Myers can do. The developers definitely understand their source material. You can even see Ash feed Eli when you’re waiting around during gameplay.

All told, it’s a fairly standard platform fare. You’re aiming to get hard to reach collectibles, like pages from the Necronomicon and enchanted pumpkin heads. Bosses pop up toward the mid-stages to break things up before moving onto the next chapter and the sole aim is to reach the end by taking down said nefarious big-bad.

Areas familiar to both series are here of course, like Phelps Garage and Elk Grove, showing these are more than just your traditional licenses, and they are lovingly designed, again with the theme of both franchises very much in mind. The fan service is much appreciated!

But there’s a couple of cool differences that really make these games interesting. For one, there’s a sizeable character select screen on both games. And in fact, if you buy both games, as well as some additional seperate DLCs, you can broaden it even further. You can play as the legendary Final Girl herself, Laurie, for example, and Kelly Maxwell.

Perhaps most interestingly, you can play as Ash in Halloween and Myers in Ash vs Evil Dead! This even unlocks some new narrative tweaks and adjustments to the story and gameplay which really gives some exciting crossover possibilities both now and maybe even in the future. Imagine getting Freddy in Stranger Things, for example? Chilling…

Each character plays a bit differently, of course, and as mentioned the story changes just slightly, even as much as giving each character their own set of save slots and really lending itself to a lot of replayability. Laurie, for instance, has her motivation of protecting Tommy, whereas Ash has to get the Necronomicon back. The pity with the wider character selection is there’s no option for co-op in any form. I understand this would probably be tricky due to the specific narrative focus for each game, but it would have been cool to have some form of split screen action in here or even online.

They also use their own weapons, have their own powerups, but all are united by their ability to explore the Nightmare Realm! What this does is create a pathway into an alternate dimension that lets you bypass some of the obstacles that exist in the real world. Of course, your time in the Nightmare Realm is only finite. And that’s just as well as the enemies there are a lot tougher – and scarier! What’s more, you can get yourself stuck in areas and potentially even kill yourself if that path doesn’t exist in the real world. Be careful!

Both franchises work really well in this format, though. And I really love how both games are setup within a specific template, from the menu screens to the style, and yet they both feel unique and very faithful to the brands they’re representing. If I had to give the edge to one game over the other, I’d lean more towards Ash vs Evil Dead. The environmental use feels more vibrant and creative, there’s fun activities happening in the background and a fun sense of humor attached to the game, not least with Ash’s only wit. But the Halloween game is also a treat for fans of the franchise.

You can access either game by entering this creepy, abandoned old arcade and right in front of you are both machines. They’re seated next to two other machines with cloths over the top of them, by the way. Saving those for another rainy day, perhaps?

But the big story is the wider arcade itself can also be explored in a first person view. Swing a right immediately and you enter a dingy lounge filled with video tapes. These tapes can be unlocked as you play the games more and more and include a lot of behind the scenes interviews with the devs, but also the composer and other people involved in the projects.

There’s also fun dioramas you can collect by unlocking certain conditions in the games, showing off the real world and nightmare realm in a fun scene you can spin around and look at in detail, while also seeing the environment and enemy changes.

And if you go even further back, there’s a little museum, glass case area for both games where you can spend tickets you unlock in both games and purchase familiar memorabilia from both series. Like Ash’s costumes and Pink F, to Young Michael Myer’s clown costume which has probably traumatised millions of people.

RetroRealms is a great collection for Halloween – or any time of year really. Platforming isn’t the first genre I’d think about for either franchise, but it works well and the teams involved have given players enough variety with the cast, the different playstyles, unlockables and narrative adjustments to keep you diving back into the games again and again.

It’s a great way to spend the spooky season, even if the price for the double pack might be a little more premium than you’re hoping for.

Verdict

RetroRealms is a really great recreation of classic horror franchises in a traditional 16-bit platformer setting. While the genre may not seem the natural fit for either of these iconic horror series, it works brilliantly, especially in case of Ash vs Evil Dead. It’s suitably graphic, has some great creative variety with the different character options and is the perfect comfort spooky game for the season. A lack of 2 player co-op and the premium price tag aside, this is a great way to get in the mood this Halloween

Pros

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RetroRealms – Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead is out now on PC, PS, Switch and Xbox

Code Kindly Provided by WayForward for review purposes

Played on PS5