Friday the 13th for NES is not a perfect game, but it is much better than it gets credit for. LJN had some pretty bad games for some pretty nice licenses (Terminator 2 being the one that I hate the most, X-Men coming second), but this isn't one of them. The beauty of the game is that it is so very original and combines multiple genres of gaming. There's a heavy emphasis on exploration, there are six playable characters (multiracial AND of both sexes), side scrolling segments on foot and on boat, Punch out style fighting, multiple weapons, semi-non-linear gameplay (no two games should be exactly the same), and a night/day transition. It is far from perfect, and I imagine that it is pretty tough to beat without the help of an FAQ (some of the exploration that takes place in the caves is pretty ridiculous; environments look much too similar). Despite some flaws that it has, it is very easy to appreciate the game even after playing just a few minutes of it.
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| Even the intro screen is fairly intense. This was the 80's, after all. Pre-Resident Evil. |
As far as overall quality goes, this game is never going to rank as high as certain NES classics like the Mega Man or Mario franchises, but if you value originality, you should try this game out. It is fairly cheap and common, so you should pick it up. The game was survival horror many years before Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark. Overall, I give Friday the 13th for NES a 6 out of 10.
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