RetroRealms Double Feature: Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead

Genre: Compilation / Action-Platformer

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

RetroRealms Double Feature: Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead, released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2024, is a Compilation of RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead, both also released on those same platforms in 2024. Both of these games are Action-Platformer titles that unlock additional content in the other game when you own both (namely, the ability to play as either game’s protagonist). This bundle also includes the Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell playable character DLCs, each normally sold separately for $5 each.

I have separately reviewed these games. Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead	Action-Platformer	1, Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead is an Action-Platformer based on the Evil Dead horror franchise and promising the potential to swap in content from other RetroRealms games you’ve bought. However, the game itself is merely decent, not great, and the extra features you can unlock aren’t worth the hype. Unless you’re a huge fan of the source material, you should stick to better games in the genre.
RetroRealms: Halloween	Action-Platformer	1, Online Leaderboards	C+
tl;dr RetroRealms: Halloween is an Action-Platformer based on the Halloween horror franchise and promising the potential to swap in content from other RetroRealms games you’ve bought. However, the game itself is merely decent, not great, and the extra features you can unlock aren’t worth the hype. Unless you’re a huge fan of the source material, you should stick to better games in the genre.

If those reviews seem similar, it’s because the games themselves are pretty similar, which is to say they’re both decent but not particularly exceptional. It’s worth noting that these games are both housed within the RetroRealms Arcade framing device, a 3D First-Person Videogame Arcade and museum of unlockable content, which is a nice touch, though it’s a bit frustrating that you have to exit out to this arcade whenever you want to return to either game’s title screen.

Of course, we have to discuss the value this bundle offers, and in this regard, I’m of mixed opinions. As a bundle, this costs the same as getting the individual games separately, which means you’re basically getting the two DLCs for free, saving you $10. But given how similar these characters are to each other, I’m not sure I feel like the DLC is worth $10. This value is enhanced a bit when you get the physical version of the game, which comes with a pack of Halloween trading cards, for whatever that’s worth to you. Or if you prefer, there’s also the Special Edition release of this bundle, which costs $80 and packs in a Halloween poster and Michael Meyers plushie.

However, if you’re just looking for the games and not the extra tchotchkes, it’s worth noting that the physical version of the non-Special Edition has already gone on sale for as low as $30, well under the price the two included games have dropped to in eShop sales.

Does that make this bundle a good deal? Eh, not especially. Does it make the two included games any better? No, of course not. But Horror fans looking to buy both of these Action-Platformers regardless of the fact that they’re not particularly great should find this to be the best way to do so. However, I would argue that unless you’re a die-hard fan of these franchises, you’re better off just buying better Action-Platformers – there are plenty enough out there to get.

tl;dr – RetroRealms Double Feature: Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead is a Compilation of RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead, both similar Action-Platformers that are decent but nothing special other than being based on well-established Horror film franchises. This is a decent bundle of the two games, but not enough to overcome the games’ middling quality, and unless you’re a fan of the franchises these games represent, you’re better off just getting better games in the genre.

Grade: C+

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