Evil Dead is easily one of the most beloved horror multimedia franchises out there, but it’s been nearly two decades since we last got a proper Evil Dead game for consoles and PC. That’ll be changing soon when Saber Interactive’s multiplayer horror title Evil Dead: The Game launches, which, thanks to its recent impressive showings, has attracted quite a bit of attention in the lead-up to its release. Here, we’re going to take a look at a few key things you should know about the game.
STRUCTURE
Evil Dead: The Game is going to feature gameplay that’ll be very reminiscent of the likes of Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, across both co-op and PvP modes. Players will play as one of several characters, and together in groups of four, will be tasked with working together and finding key artefacts scattered throughout the map you’re playing on to seal breaches.
KANDARIAN DEMON
If you want to experience the other side of the experience, in PvP, players can also choose to play as the Kandarian demon, and posses deadites and try and kill human opponents. In addition to that, as the Kandarian demon, you can also summon additional monsters to fight by your side, possess things in the environment to lay deadly traps for your human enemies, or even possess the survivors themselves to try and consume their souls.
SINGLE PLAYER
Saber Interactive confirmed a while back that Evil Dead: The Game would also have some sort of a single component. While exact details are unknown, it has been confirmed that you’ll be able to play its multiplayer content with AI bots if you wish. Additionally, Saber also says the game will have “a couple” of single player-focused side missions- though again, we don’t know exactly how many of these the game will have, or what we can expect from them in terms of their scope and how meaty they will be.
LOOTING, CRAFTING, AND MORE
Besides killing demons and monstrosities while looking for artefacts, there’ll be plenty more to engage with in Evil Dead: The Game on the gameplay front. Exploring and looting environments will be an important part of the core loop, while developer Saber Interactive says “managing your fear” will also be something you’ll have to contend with, though it’s unclear exactly how that’ll manifest as a gameplay mechanic. Of course, Evil Dead: The Game is also going to have an overarching progression system with upgrades and skills to unlock for each of the characters.
WEAPONS
Evil Dead: The Game is going to try and inject variety into its moment-to-moment in some key ways, with one of them being weapons. According to the game’s developers, there will be over 25 weapons to use in the game if you’re playing as a survivor, including everything from hatchets and axes and shovels to Ash’s iconic boomstick, chainsaw, and much more.
Oh, and speaking of Ash…
BRUCE CAMPBELL RETURNS
There is no Evil Dead without Bruce Campbell. Of course, the man loves portraying series protagonist Ash Williams every chance he gets, and after having done so several times in games over the years, he’ll be returning in the role once again for Evil Dead: The Game. And as you’d expect, Ash Williams isn’t the only beloved Evil Dead character who’ll be coming back.
PLAYABLE CHARACTERS
Evil Dead: The Game is set to have several playable characters, and its roster is going to have characters from across the franchise, which series fans are sure to love. That includes Scotty from the original Evil Dead, Lord Arthur from Army of Darkness, Kelly Maxwell and Pablo Simon Bolivar from Ash vs Evil Dead, and more, with the latter two being played once again by Dana DeLorenzo and Ray Santiago respectively.
SURVIVORS
Evil Dead: The Game’s roster of playable survivor characters will be spread across several different classes, each with a different role, including Leader, Warrior, Hunter, and Support. Meanwhile, each different character will also come with abilities unique to them. Henry the Red, for instance, is a Warrior who can activate an ability that temporarily disables any damage taken to health or shields. Meanwhile, Lord Arthur is a Leader who can temporarily boost the damage inflicted by himself and any teammates in his vicinity. Then there’s Ed Getley, a Hunter, who can use a unique flashlight that detects and disarms demon traps.
DEMONS
Evil Dead: The Game’s playable demons are also divided across multiple classes- Warlord, Puppeteer, and Necromancer, and each playable demon also has unique skills. The Deadite Elite, for instance, is a slow-moving Warlord who can do a lot of damage, the Skeleton Elite is a Necromancer that wields a deadly trident that it can also throw at enemies from range to deal some serious damage, while the Demi-Eligos is a Puppeteer that can dish out lightning attacks or even summon a clone of itself.
GORE SYSTEM
Evil Dead has always been known for its excessive gore, to the point where it’s very much become a core part of the franchise’s identity in many ways. Obviously, Evil Dead: The Game isn’t going to shy away from that- which makes sense, given the style of multiplayer horror experience it’s looking to deliver. Saber Interactive says the game will feature “realistic visuals and a physics-based gore system” that will bring its action to life. Exact details on this gore system are unknown, but from what we’ve seen of the game so far, it seems like there’s reason to be optimistic.
PC REQUIREMENTS
Evil Dead: The Game’s minimum system requirements for PC have only been partially revealed so far- we just know you’re going to need 8 GB of RAM, essentially. Where recommended specs are confirmed though, we do have more info- you’ll need 16 GB of RAM, either an i7-7700 or a Ryzen 2600X, and either a GTX 1070 Ti or an RX 5600 XT. Meanwhile, it’s also been confirmed that the game will feature DLSS support on PC.
PRICE
The multiplayer horror market that Evil Dead: The Game is launching in is a crowded and competitive one, and quite often, we see even pretty major new releases trying to entice players right off the bat with a lower price point than normal. Evil Dead: The Game will do the same, and will launch for a price of $39.99 on all platforms.
PRE-ORDER BONUSES
If you’re looking to pre-order Evil Dead: The Game ahead of its launch on May 13, you’ll be in for a couple of extra goodies as well. All pre-order holders will get two additional in-game skins for Ash, both from Army of Darkness. One shows his S-mart employee outfit, while the other highlights the Gallant Knight armour. For fans of the series, at least, they might be decent bonuses.
EDITIONS
Evil Dead: The Game, like with most other games releasing now, has plenty of costlier editions available for purchase as well, and while a couple of them are now listed as sold out, the Deluxe Edition is still available. Priced at $59.99, in addition to the base game, the Deluxe Edition also comes with a Season Pass for the game’s first season, which will include four DLC packs “at a discounted rate”.