Sometimes you just come across a developer who, either by coincidence or by design, seems to specialize almost entirely in a very specific niche genre, like with how Wadjet Eye largely deals in old-school mid-’90s-style point-and-click adventure games, or with today’s subject, IllFonic. Over the past few years, they seem to have dealt mainly with asymmetrical multiplayer games based in popular horror movies or movies with supernatural elements. It began withFriday the 13th: The Game,thenPredator: Hunting Grounds,and most recently,Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed(withArcadegeddonproviding a break in between those last two). And indeed, their next game falls into this niche as well, but this time tackling a more campy cult classic withKiller Klowns From Outer Space: The Game,based on the 1988 film. It stands out among its peers, but does that still translate to a good game?
What’re Ya Gonna Do With Those Pies, Boys?
Set in the town of Crescent Cove, the game follows the basic events of the movie as an alien invasion by the titular Killer Klowns is underway. Players step into the shoes of either one of three Klowns or seven humans, with the latter having the goal of escaping before time runs out and the Klownpocalypse is triggered, and the former having the goal of making sure the humans don’t escape. While I spent my PAX East demo playing as one of the Klowns, due to it being the biggest draw for a game such as this, the humans do have interesting challenges to work with in trying to survive. There are multiple options for escape, be they boats, bunkers, bridges on the edges of the map and more, but each one either requires items, makes noise, and even if you get them working, they only stay open for brief periods and/or can only accommodate so many others. So it’s clear that teamwork is the key to success here. And if not teamwork, there are always weapons that can temporarily kill off a Klown.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game Debuts Main Theme
Choose to play as a Klown, though, and you get the more interesting toys to play with, both figuratively and literally. Pretty much all the classic props from the movie are at your disposal, from popcorn guns that cause corn to stick to humans and make them visible, balloon doggies that can sniff out humans in hiding, or your main weapon, a ray gun that can envelop humans in cotton candy cocoons or temporarily block off exits. The cocoons can be brought to special stations that produce tiny minions who can track humans even further, and filling up all the stations triggers the Klownpocalypse early. So it’s a twisted hunt, working together to either capture, kill or stall the foolish humans. The gameplay is fun, with the aforementioned tools being a treat to try out, and skills like being able to leap across the map to other Klowns or laughing to give yourself a buff. The tourist-y settings are also used nicely and make for nice levels with good visuals, as seen with the woodsy level I tried.
Killer Klowns From Outer Spaceseems like it’s going to try and cram in as much from the original movie into the game as possible at launch, which is one of its biggest strengths…and yet arguably, one of its biggest weaknesses, since it brings the issue of longevity into question. With franchises likeFriday the 13th, PredatorandGhostbusters,IllFonic have several films, comics, cartoons, etc, full of material to work with. WithKiller Klowns,there’s…well, just the one movie, which begs the question of what other characters, maps, skills and more can be added to the game over time. That said, the Chiodos have been trying to get sequels made for years, so it’s more than likely that they have several ideas to include. In fact, during a panel at PAX East, they revealed that the first female Klowns will eventually be added to the game, which should be quite a sight.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Gamewill need lasting appeal to be a success in the long run, but as is, what we experienced still offered a fun multiplayer game that paid tribute to a nicely demented classic. There’s a nice amount of challenge on either side with multiple objectives to work with, and with them, the potential for a ton of interesting strategies. And we’ll see if the game makes use all that potential when it arrives on June 4 for PC, XSX and PS5. Until then, wonder if they’ll work the killer shadow puppets into the game somehow…
