Halloween: The Game is the latest asymmetrical horror game from IllFonic. It features the typical genre staples, including the familiar PvP-based loop–where players, acting as civilians, must escape a given location while being pursued by a player-controlled monster. Fans of the genre should know what to expect. What makes Halloween: The Game stand out, however, is in how it incorporates NPCs into the mix, as well as key elements from the popular slasher franchise.
IllFonic has created a survival horror experience that mirrors its source material. Because of this, Halloween: The Game is more about stepping into a role than playing hide-and-seek with Michael Myers. Players controlling residents of Haddonfield will need to do more than just survive the night if they want to beat Myers. At the same time, Myers doesn’t have to kill every human-controlled citizen to win. Whichever side leans most into its respective role will usually come out on top. In order to help players do just that, we’ve gathered a few helpful tips that detail some of the nuances found in each role.
Note: These tips are based on a pre-released version of Halloween: The Game. While most of them still should hold true post-launch, some might change slightly after a few patches.
Michael Myers tips
The campaign is your lengthy tutorial for multiplayer
Before stepping in Haddonfield as Michael Myers, you should play through Halloween’s brief campaign. Not only is this solo offering a cool way to retrace key moments of Myers’ life before the events of the original film, it also acts as a short tutorial. You’ll learn how to stalk citizens, outwit pesky cops, and perform brutal executions–all of which helps in building up Myers prowess as a killer during a match. Essentially, the more you act like Myers before, during, and after a kill, the more powerful you’ll become.
What really makes the campaign worth checking out is its tooltips. Currently, there’s no way to check out the finer details of Myers’ various abilities. There is a loadout screen that gives some basic information, but it leaves a lot to be desired; this screen will explain how “Shape Jump” turns you into a ghost of sorts in order to fly around the map and surprise players, but it doesn’t say that this ability also allows you to phase through locked doors and windows like the tips from the campaign mode do.
Stalk everyone before you go in for the kill
Michael Myers doesn’t always immediately kill people in the movies. He usually stalks them first. In Halloween: The Game, this creepy aspect of his character actively empowers Myers during a match. Stalking can be done by just standing close enough to a potential victim to build up a circular bar. To reach higher stalk levels though, you’ll need to use Killer Sense–a first person mode that mimics the way Myers stares at people before moving in for the kill, by pressing the right analog stick. The longer you stare at someone in this fashion, the higher their stalk level will be, maxing out at level 3.
This game mechanic has multiple benefits. The main one being a stronger killer; a high stalk level not only significantly weakens a victim’s ability to fight back when grabbed, but it also marks them, making it easier for Myers to chase them down if they escape.
Use the environment
There are other ways to stalk victims. Aside from staring through the mask, standing still while in close proximity to them, and so on, you can also use your environment. Cutting the power to a house will scare everyone inside. It’s a risky move, considering they’ll be on high alert. But if you find it hard to raise a victim’s stalk level (because they keep walking away in and out of rooms), killing the lights could raise it a few levels in quick fashion.
It’s also a good idea to cut phone lines whenever possible. This prevents citizens from calling for help, giving you more time to stalk them without police interference. Again, it’s a risky move. If a spooked individual is unable to complete a call, they may just run to a neighbor’s house to get help. This will make it harder for you to remain hidden as you go about stalking Haddonfield.
Manage your Bloodthirst meter
Stalking individual targets is great. But if you want to give yourself a better chance at being a proper killer, you’ll need to manage your Bloodthirst. As you stalk people, execute them, and basically be an all round menace, you’ll start to gain Bloodthirst. As it rises, so does your melee strength, improving your chances of killing someone when grabbing them isn’t an option. This is especially true for player controlled citizens looking for a fight; it’s easy to be overwhelmed by attackers during the early moments of a match.
A higher Bloodthirst also grants you reduced cooldown timers, faster Shape Jump travel speeds, and more. Be careful though, as you can lose these buffs by standing in light, taking damage, and being knocked down. As Myers, you’ll want to raise your Bloodthirst using NPCs before trying to kill human players.
Focus on the NPCs early
In Halloween, Michael Myers doesn’t have to kill everyone to win a match. He just has to kill enough people to be considered a major menace. This means that it won’t be in your best interest to go after the human-controlled citizens early on.
Ideally, you’ll have taken out several citizens (including key individuals that dot the map) and have a high Bloodthirst level before confronting other players. That way, when you actually get in a fight, you’ll be able to hold your own. But even if that isn’t the case, going for the NPCs first alleviates the threat of them being warned by other citizens. The last thing you want is for a victim to escape because you were wasting time chasing an often wiser human-controlled player.
Citizens
Turn on all the lights you can
As a citizen of Haddonfield, it is your job to make sure as many people survive as possible. And while this can be done in multiple ways, the easiest has to do with alerting them to the danger. Basically, you’ll need to enter their homes and explain why they should run for their lives.
The tricky part about chatting with NPCs is that they can be a talkative bunch. By that, I mean it’ll take a few minigame prompts to get through to them. So naturally, you’ll want to give yourself enough time to talk to them before Myers shows up. Locking doors before starting a conversation is a good idea. Turning on all of the lights is even better. For one, it prevents Myers from phasing into a home through an unlit door or window (locked or otherwise). The light also lowers his Bloodthirst over time, possibly giving you an edge in a fight.
Have NPCs call the police ASAP
After you’ve made an NPC aware of the danger they’re in, you’ll be able to give them different commands. You can tell them to hide (if Myers is around), have them follow you, or go to a nearby exit once unlocked. One of the best things you can tell them to do early on, however, is to call the cops.
It’s possible for you to call the cops yourself. The thing is, that conversation will require you to complete a mini-game. If you fail it, you’ll have to wait a little while before you can try again. NPCs, on the other hand, are much faster at explaining the situation, and they can’t fail when notifying the authorities. Let them handle that while you look for supplies, secure their house, and keep an eye out for Myers.
Check the mini-map for key items and other survivors
There are multiple ways to escape Haddonfield. Most of them require a set of tools–car keys, gas, a repair kit, you name it. It can be difficult to figure out which item is needed for each method of escape. That’s where the mini-map comes in.
The mini-map shares important info that’s worth keeping in mind. If a player is holding a key item, for instance, that item’s icon will be showcased on their arrow on the map. Bump into a broken-down car? That car’s location will be shown on the map. Match the needed items (being held by each player) with the means of escape (the broken car) and boom, you’re that much closer to surviving the night.
It’s not about you
In order to beat Myers, you’ll need to keep people alive. Unlocking a means of escape and leaving won’t achieve that goal. Sure, you’ll live. But Myers will probably still win the match. Instead of fleeing the moment an exit is unlocked, you should return to those citizens you warned about Myers and direct them to that exit. Some of them might stumble upon it themselves–like the police wagon that appears after a certain number of cops start patrolling the neighborhood. But for the most part, they’ll be clueless about their escape options. It’s up to you to get them where they need to go.
Remember: There’s strength in numbers
This might sound like a no-brainer, but it doesn’t take much for people to split up. A sudden appearance of Myers will send folks scattering. The thing is, though, it’s easier to deal with him if you stay with one another. A group of armed citizens can knock Myers out, especially if his Bloodthirst level is low. They can also prevent someone from being executed, fight off a few attacks, blind him with light, and more.
Then there’s the shared items. While the mini-map helps in detailing who has what (when they are near you) it is possible to miss out on an escape route because the person holding a key item is in a different location; they have the gas, you have the keys, but neither of you are aware of that fact.
There are a few moments where everyone should split up. That said, you should try sticking with your teammates whenever possible. It will be that much easier for everyone to escape when the time comes.
