Savage Halloween

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Savage Halloween is an Action-Platformer released on PC in 2020 and ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game’s plot kicks off when the monsters decide during their yearly Halloween rave on Earth that this time they’ll overstay their welcome and keep the party going indefinitely, and a trio of heroes decides to forcibly evict the supernatural squatters with a hail of lead.

This game’s presentation is delightfully retro in style, making use of nice pixel art visuals and an excellent chiptune soundtrack, which I unfortunately don’t have any samples of to share with you, but suffice it to say that this game’s soundtrack sounds like it would fit in nicely with some of the better soundtracks of the 8-bit and 16-bit era.

The gameplay here is also really excellent. There’s nothing truly original or inventive going on here – you’re working your way through platforming levels and using various guns to blast away enemies. However, the level design, combat, and boss design are all excellent, the pacing is good (though levels can be a bit on the long side), and the game provides enough variety and hidden areas to ensure that things stay interesting. I should also note that the Co-Op mode here is good, and feels a bit reminiscent of the Contra games.

If I were to point to a flaw here, the length of the levels can lead to things feeling a little repetitive every now and then, and it is frustrating that grabbing a weapon pickup automatically switches to that weapon. Also, I wish there were more distinct differences between the three playable characters – it’s primarily a difference in speed and health, with one character getting an additional float ability on top of the usual double-jump. However, these are fairly minor gripes in what is overall a solid experience.

If this game were priced at $10, I’d consider it a solid buy, well worth the price. However, with this game selling for a mere $5, it is an absolute steal. If you enjoy Action-Platformers, I highly recommend this game – for the price, it’s hard to find a game with better old-school action.

tl;dr – Savage Halloween is an Action-Platformer with old-school charm that has players blasting monstrous enemies with an arsenal of guns. This game doesn’t do anything especially original, but overall it’s a fantastic Action-Platformer, and an absolute steal at $5.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action Game

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