Friday the 13th (video game)

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Friday The 13th
A screen capture of Friday the 13th for the NES.
Developer(s)	LJN
Publisher(s)	LJN
Release date(s)	1988
Genre(s)	Side scroller/Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	NES
Media	2-megabit cartridge

Friday the 13th was released by LJN in April 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the popular slasher film series of the same name, though the game doesn't follow one particular movie. Rather, the game is a hodge-podge of selected films.

[edit] Storyline

The player starts the game by picking which camp counselor he/she wants to control. Each of the counselors is stationed in a different cabin across the map, and they have certain strengths and weaknesses, most prominently in terms of their speed and how high they can jump. No matter which character the player chooses, the player character starts out with an unlimited supply of rocks that he can throw at enemies (i.e. zombies, wolves, and bats), which sometimes leave behind vitamin jars to restore lost health, or more powerful weapons, such as a machete or a torch that shoots short range fireballs.

The player's ultimate goal is to obtain the pitchfork and to kill Jason, although the pitchfork isn't required. To get it, the player must venture to a cave where he will have to defeat the flying head of Jason's mother, which will have to be defeated several times before she will leave the pitchfork behind. Jason's mother returns to the cave after defeating Jason within the course of that day.

When Jason randomly appears in the game to attack the player, he will need to be hit enough times to cause him to run away. Jason also attacks the campers and counselors stationed in various cabins, using a plethora of different weapons. The most recognizable is the Cleaver.(shown above). By using the map, the player quickly gets to the cabin he's in and battles him to save the life of the person inside. If Jason kills enough of the campers or all of the counselors, the game is over, and if he drains too much energy from a counselor, he/she is killed and no longer available as a playable character.

The player has the option of switching between the various camp counselors by visiting them in their cabins. The player may also give them more powerful weapons to defend themselves if Jason attacks.

Eventually, after going back and forth between fighting Jason in the cabins and fighting his mother in the cave, she gives the player character the pitchfork, and the player must then complete a final battle with Jason.

The game closes with a shot of Jason on the ground, suggesting that Jason may still not truly be dead.

[edit] Trivia

This game is one of the only video games of the NES era to actually declare to players, most possibly children, that, upon losing all characters, he or she, and his/her friends (the other characters), have died. The game over screen exactly says, "YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD. GAME OVER." This was rather unusual, as most games would use terms such as "defeated," or the such.