Released on October 18, 2024, “RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead” is a new entry in the Evil Dead franchise, as a side-scrolling action platformer video game. This is one of the first of two entries (so far) in the broader “RetroRealms” series, with the second being based on the “Halloween” (1978) film.
Gameplay:
The player controls Ash Williams who is equipped with his main tools for fighting against evil– a trusty chainsaw and sawed-off shotgun. Williams is pitted against the Deadites, his usual demonically possessed enemies. At his disposal, is a handful of attacks and special moves Ash can do including throwable sub weapons, like the Kandarian Dagger, to attack enemies from afar.
RetroRealms’ main gimmick is the ability to flip from the regular world into a more nightmarish and hellish “Nightmare Realm” using the Overlord’s Eye, giving players the ability to go around obstacles or unlock new paths to reach collectables.
Story:
The game’s storyline is set into motion when a dark and demonic entity hellbent on taking over the world, known as the Overlord, suddenly appears to forcefully steal the Necronomicon from Ash’s trailer house, leading to Ash embarking on a quest to retrieve the book and defeat the Overlord before the book can be used for his nefarious needs.
I would say that this story acts as a loose adaptation of the first and third season of the television series, broken into five distinct worlds containing two levels each. Locations from the show such as Elk Grove, Ash’s hometown, are represented in the game along with major characters like Ruby Knowby in boss fights at the end of each world.
Critique:
Upon watching the first reveal trailer two months ago, I was skeptical about the game’s quality due Boss Team Games’ overall subpar success with “Evil Dead: The Game” (2022). My hopes were slightly turned around when I found out that Wayforward, the developers of the “Shantae” series, were brought onto this project.
However, this game did not reach the heights I anticipated from their previous work. The level design is frustrating, at times, due to the placement of enemies and hazards in such ways that it is nearly impossible to get through without losing a substantial amount of health. Or even random enemies that straight up explode upon death.
New mechanics, such as spring pads and falling chandeliers, were introduced very late in the game. The upgrade shop is the most important menu as it provides increases to total health points and attack moves, but it was still barebones in content. Even through these difficulties I still managed to somewhat speed through the game in just under four hours, leaving me a little unsatisfied with this amount of content for $24.99.
Although, I do have some highlights during my playtime. I thought that the glorious pixel art graphics were on point all throughout the game, along with the blood effects that would douse the screen pretty much anytime any enemy was killed. The soundtrack was also pretty catchy and fitting for every level. There is also the possibility for replayability through buying “RetroRealms: Halloween” will allow you to play though the Ash vs. Evil Dead levels as Michael Myers, or two other downloadable characters that are available for purchase.
All in all, “RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead” is a side-scrolling action platformer that is fun at most stages but make sure to be ready to face an unrelenting challenge at the end. I’d say this game is a 7/10.
