Gaming/Features

Based on Sam Raimi’s classic 1981 slapstick horror movie series, Evil Dead: The Game resurrects Bruce Campbell as the iconic Ash Williams. With his trusty chainsaw and The Boomstick, Ash must save an ungrateful world from legions of unholy deadites for the umpteenth time. But this time, he’s not coming alone. Characters pulled from the film and TV series are joining him to reassemble the pages of the Necronomicon and stop evil incarnate — and you and all your buddies can fill their shoes.

This is not Ash’s first virtual adventure. The cult films have been adapted and spun off into software for the SEGA Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and original Xbox in bygone years. Hell, there was even a Commodore 64 game. This new entry is capitalizing on the recent trend of online survival horror games most popularized by Dead by Daylight, which has already featured appearances from the likes of Freddy, Jason, Myers, Leatherface and, yes, Ash. Also known as “asymmetrical multiplayer,” these titles often see one survivor set against some terrible beast.

Deep in those accursed woods, four players can take the role of Ash and company, though another player can opt to take the reigns of the dreadful deadites, corrupting corpses and interfering with the heroes’ progress. Baddies can even fill the boots of Evil Ash, Ash’s decaying, mediaeval doppelgänger. Once running around the forest gets tiresome, you can hop behind the wheel of Ash’s yellow 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale and take it for a joyride.

The splatterfest begins on Fri., May 13, when Evil Dead: The Game rises on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.