Humble Bundle recently had a bundle (Gems 2) where I had none of the titles. One of these was "Slayaway Camp". I'd seen this one before, it had even shown up heavily discounted or as promos on other store fronts, but I never bothered grabbing it. **dramatic voice** UNTIL NOW.

The ultraviolent horror-gore theme does have a rating toggle to make it a more pure puzzle game. But I'll be right out honest and say the schlocky cartoon violence is what makes this game as great as it is. It can be highly graphic, but the basic models and tropes it plays off makes it easily digestible.

The game basics are a sliding puzzle / capture game. You play one of many horror movie knockoff villains who has the aim of brutally killing hopeless teens (likely played by people in their 30s) at a summer camp and various other areas.

Your character can only move in 4 directions, and will rush in that direction until they hit a hazard and die, hit an object/wall and stop, or hit a human and make the kill. Once all humans (aside from cops) are dead, you need to run to the pentagram to complete the zone.

There's a rare zone with a turn limit, and thankfully no time limit, though these are easy enough to pass and help to break things up a bit, rather than be an unwanted nuisance. If you ever think you have taken a wrong step, press 'R' enough times to backtrack with zero penalty.

These zones are sets from movies selected via a choice of VHS tapes. VHS tapes are what we used in the olden days before DVDs. DVDs are what we used in the other olden days before digital streaming...

Each movie is about a dozen zones long, and they progressively build off what you have learnt in previous zones, or previous VHS tapes. Just like the actual movies of the era this game is based on, there's pretty much no story to it aside a "They thought they were safe" theme. And for that, it is glorious.

I want to reiterate that the level progression in this one is some of the most perfect I've ever seen. I am at the stage of the bonus levels right now and the path to this point has been pretty much spot on.

Too many games are quick to introduce a concept but never really teach you how to do what it wants you to learn. And while this can mean that Slayaway Camp does have a few levels in a row you can complete in seconds, it never outstays an unwelcome tutorial. By the time you've passed the concept you realise you've gone through levels of slowly growing difficulty and are ready for the next challenge.

I only really got stuck once in the game due to a single puzzle having a lot of backtracking to line everything up. And it is certainly possible I over thought the solution and there was a much simpler method.

Early threats include cops, that will shoot you if you stand like an idiot right in front of them. And pits of doom that will cause you to fall to your death. It is with the pits that the game really expands as you can use them against the victims too.

Later levels include fire and water traps that work the same way as a pit, though even as a shark monster you can not swim. While at first odd, it is nice that the player just has skins, rather than unwanted specific abilities that would just serve to make the game unnecessarily complex.

After this you encounter bombs, which explode and are removed from the map if someone steps on them. Perhaps when said person frightened by a scary monster person...

Shelves, refrigerators and other heavy wobbling objects can also be pushed to crush or create new paths to the game's solution. Props to the player and running individuals, I can confirm that fridges are bloody hard to shift in the best of times.

Telephones can be rung, causing those in a clear cardinal direction line-of-hearing to rush towards it. By this point you'll find that it is easier to have a no-win solution to the levels. Resetting and trying again happens fast (thankyou!) and is rarely a big issue.

Various other challenges and hazards show up as you progress and build off these main themes.

There are also cats. You can cause them to drown, blow up, catch on fire, or straight out murder them. And if you do so it is an instant game over. Because just like the movie going audience you can watch people get killed in all sorts of ways, but harm an animal and you want to get all John Wick on them.

The game is available on mobile devices, and it really only shows on the 'store' section of the game.

For the PC port you gain coins by completing bonus kills between levels. A 'press the button when the slider is in the area' basic game that would feel at home on touch devices. Hitting 'space' does the same job. Coin collection is slow though, and the unlock rate is a crawl.

But this is all cosmetic. Allowing you to override the movie's default monster/player and to unlock different kill-cam shots.

If you are some kind of sick freak, you can use the unlocked kill-cams to rewatch them again and again. As much as your bloodless black heart desires.

I dunno, if you do find yourself doing this: Seek help.

The style, presentation, and progression in this game is awesome. I started it a few times today between other tasks only to find it had taken an hour out of my day.

If you like puzzle game, it is really worth a look. Kongregate even has a concept demo up for you to play in.

If you do find the ultra violence too much, it can be toned down. You can even turn the pentagram portal into a picture of a kitty :3

Game Acquisition: Humble Bundle (Gems 2 Bundle)
Platform Used: Steam
Tweet Threads: 1 - 1 October 2017
PC Used: Scorptec Venom 2009 MK2

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7
Processor: Core i (i3, i5, i7) Level CPU
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Integrated Graphics
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 300 MB available space
Sound Card: Any on-board sound should work