Halloween: The Game Brings Michael Myers Back To Haddonfield
It’s crazy I know, but Summer is pretty much over, and Autumn is upon us. Supermarkets are already stocked with Halloween goodies in preparation, and some even have aisles setup for the dreaded “c” word. It’s too early for that though.
So (as if it was planned) now seems like the opportune moment for one of the most famous horror movie icons ever to make his return. You just can’t keep a good killer down.
I’d like to open by pointing out that Halloween: The Game is totally authentic to the first film, right down to iconic characters and sequences. It really is impressive when it comes to the attention to detail, and the DNA of the original film has been weaved into this game in almost every way.
There’s plenty of nods to the others too, but it’s that original 1978 masterpiece which provides the foundation here. This is a game which makes you want to go and watch the films again (well some of them at least). This is surely the best measure of success there is.
A Short Single-Player Introduction
“Michael’s Story” is the single player campaign, and essentially acts as one long tutorial. It guides you through Michael’s backstory, as well as the abilities he has as “The Shape”. It only lasts about an hour or so, split across a prologue sequence and five different chapters. The gameplay is spliced with cutscenes, backed by the ever iconic soundtrack. You’ll hear the two or three main pieces over and over in Halloween: The Game, but they never become an irritation, mainly thanks to John Carpenter’s skillful arrangement.
In an attempt to add some replayability, there are six challenges available in each chapter. You won’t be required to do anything too taxing, namely pull off specific executions or kill certain targets. These offer customisation rewards too, which we will return to a bit later.
The single player story provides some new moments inspired by the film which will surely delight fans of the masked menace. However, it’s over quickly and if I’m honest, isn’t what will keep you coming back for more.
Multiplayer Is The Main Event
The main pull for Halloween: The Game is its multiplayer. It’s a case of Michael versus the civilians, a 1 vs 4 battle for survival set across various areas in Haddonfield. Be warned, as a civilian your goal isn’t simply just to escape Michael. You need to get all the Haddonfield residents out alive, otherwise Micheal will be free to rampage unchallenged.
There are several key items scattered across the area, and these can be used to unlock different escape routes. This could be via police car, or down into a safe cellar space. Searching around is the only way to find these items, but comes with a greater risk of being detected by Michael.
Calling the cops helps slow Michael down, even if they’re unlikely to stop him. To do this successfully you’ll need to complete a series of skill check inputs which will flash up on screen. These are also used when building trust with the residents, so they follow you, or listen to your commands, such as getting them to hide or call the police.
Michael can be detained, but this takes considerable time and bullets to keep him down. If your team puts in enough convincing calls to the police, eventually you’ll fill up the alert meter bringing the legendary Dr. Loomis himself to the scene to lend a hand.
In the event of death, the fun isn’t over as you can complete the skill check mini games to award active players with perk cards. These are used for current match buffs, such as extra damage, a better chance to evade Michael or getting the police out to you faster. There’s also the opportunity to respawn as a cop or even Dr. Loomis to help in the fight against Michael.
Playing As Michael Myers Is Bloody Good Fun
When playing as Michael, his role is simply to kill everyone. He can make use of a range of weapons, such as his signature knife, alongside pitchforks, axes and more. He is also able to kill with his bare hands, or make use of environmental hazards such as telephone pole spikes, windows and televisions. All of these scenarios trigger execution sequences which are absolutely brutal, and viscerally very violent. Michael pulls no punches and it’s delightfully gruesome.
However, before Michael goes in for the kill he is best to stalk his victims, something which he did in the very first film to great effect. This increases fear and bags extra points when Michael eventually makes his move. Once Michael’s target has been eliminated, hiding the body is important to avoid detection or alerting civilians to his presence.
They don’t call him “The Shape” for nothing. Michael can travel quickly and discreetly around the area using shape jump. This allows Michael to blend in with the shadows, roaming undetected for his next victim. However, he cannot respawn when in view, or under a direct light source. He also has several abilities at his disposal; temporarily causing blackouts, detecting and marking nearby victims as well as exit shape jumping with no restrictions to get the drop of your victim. This last one can feel a little unfair at times, making it very hard to avoid getting killed by him.
Progression And Customisation Add More
Multiplayer comes with crossplay and you can choose if you want to play as a civilian or the Boogeyman himself. It probably goes without saying, that whilst both offer different experiences, rampaging around Haddonfield as Michael Myers is Halloween: The Game at its best.
There are plenty of ways to customise your online profile in Halloween: The Game, as well as the playable characters themselves. These rewards are earned through a levelling system powered by XP from playing matches, with the chance to prestige at the higher ranks. And then, it’s at the graveyard where you can also listen to recordings, and edit perk decks. There are a wide range of challenges to complete with plenty of unlockables for both Michael and the civilians.
Plenty Of Tension But Some Rough Edges
What I genuinely love about this game is the tense gameplay, with the potential for lots of jump scares as Michael could pop up at any given moment. The civilians can outrun Michael, but there’s something terrifying about his brisk, unrelenting walk as he pursues you with no outward emotion.
Despite hot fixes and patches, Halloween: The Game is still janky in parts, with many unintentionally hilarious rough edges (a civilian sliding past me like an ice hockey puck is one memorable example). The frame rate slows right down at times too, most noticeably as environments are loading. Turning whilst aiming a firearms also sees it badly glitch, rather than smoothly track as the character turns. It also crashed on me, and at one point Michael’s character completely disappeared and as I approached where I downed him, I was swiftly murdered by the invisible killer.
A Bloody Good Time
Despite all this, Halloween: The Game is still an awful lot of fun. Sure, there are issues, but there’s bags of potential too. The Halloween universe is so accurately and faithfully recreated here meaning you’ll experience so many joyful moments. In the end you’ll likely forgive when things go a little askew.
As move tie-ins go, Halloween: The Game gets an awful lot right. There are issues to address, but none serious enough to prevent players from having a bloody good time.
Important Links
Halloween Is Now Available, Bringing Michael Myers Back For A New Generation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/halloween-is-now-available/
Michael Myers Returns in Halloween, a New Asymmetric Horror Game | Release Date Confirmed – https://www.thexboxhub.com/michael-myers-returns-in-halloween-a-new-asymmetric-horror-game-stalking-in-2026/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/halloween-the-game/9nm5gzjcl4r6
There’s a Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/halloween-digital-deluxe-edition/9nv36nptfzdn
