Copies of RetroRealms Halloween & Ash vs Evil Dead were provided to Create-Context by Boss Team Games. The opinions below solely reflect those of the author. A review of both games can be found at TheGuideHall.

RetroRealms Halloween & Ash vs Evil Dead are a pair of side-scrolling action games made by and for horror movie fans. Each game in the collection lovingly recreates their respective horror franchises. Halloween has you hunting down people in Haddonfield, while Ash vs Evil Dead puts you in the boots of Ash Williams while he slays the undead.

RetroRealms Creating Nostalgia

Boss Team Games has created a digital arcade harkening back to the old-school days of gaming. Inside their digital arcade there currently sits two uncovered arcade cabinets for their latest release. RetroRealms Halloween & Ash vs Evil Dead.

Each game plays similarly, with the player taking the role of various characters from the beloved franchises. Halloween puts you in the overalls of Michael Myers, while Ash vs Evil Dead allows you to rip chainsaws through the undead. It’s all very gory, incredibly polished, and a ton of fun for fans of 16-bit era gaming.

Halloween

Few Horror movies are as iconic as the original Halloween. The creepy backstory of Michael Myers, his escape from the asylum, and the ultimate terrorizing of final girl Laurie Strode all culminate in horror cinema perfection. RetroRealms Halloween allows gamers to play as Michael through various locations of the first film. Myers slashes his way through asylum guards and Phelps garage employees before finally taking on the mysterious Overlord. A character created for the games who crosses over with Ash vs Evil Dead.

RetroRealms Halloween can be completed in about four hours, but there are loads left to do after the initial playthrough. Laurie Strode is available as a DLC playable character, and even characters from Ash vs Evil Dead can be brought to Haddonfield. RetroRealms Halloween is good on its own, but when combined with its counterpart the two games come together to create something special.

Ash vs Evil Dead

RetroRealms Ash vs Evil Dead is based primarily on the Ash vs Evil Dead TV series. While the original trilogy of films are all-time classics, the series greatly expanded on the character of Ash Williams. Ash takes center stage here, chasing down the same overlord in hopes of gaining back the Necronomicon.

Ash plays quite a bit differently from Michael Myers. His signature chainsaw arm acts as his primary weapon and is used to make quick work of the army of undead he must face. Kelly Maxwell from the series is available here as a DLC character and also comes with her own specific set of weapons and moves. Like every other character, she can also run through Haddonfield which unlocks more of the combined overarching narrative.

The History of Licensed Video Games

The gameplay in each game is challenging, and fun, and will feel instantly recognizable to those who grew up on a Super Nintendo. Video Games based on licensed films have historically gotten a bad rap. Some even claim the dreaded Atari ET game caused the collapse of the video game industry. Boss Team Games have gone to great lengths to create a set of games that don’t just look like the films they share the same name with, but play great as well.

The most intriguing thing about the RetroRealms package is the numerous cabinets still covered inside the arcade. The developers haven’t officially stated yet, but there is reason to believe we could be seeing more classic franchises turned into 16-bit-era action games. Whether or not they continue to make more games for their arcade is yet to be seen but their first two outings prove they know what they’re doing when it comes to classic gaming.

Horror Nostalgia

The horror movie industry has received a significant boom in the past few years. Films like Hereditary reintroduced the idea of “elevated horror” and 2024 has been jam-packed with incredible horror films. But as good as these new films are, there is still little that beats the classics.

RetroRealms Halloween & Ash vs Evil Dead are reminders of why we love these franchises. They are perfect games to pick up over the Halloween season and enjoy the nostalgia of old-school gaming.