Well damn, it’s about time Microsoft realized that maybe, just maybe, October is the perfect month to have a lineup of games that fit with a spooky, scary, or otherwise “Halloween” theme. Let’s dive right in.
On the Xbox One we have Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut and Maid of Sker.
Okay, Slayaway Camp doesn’t look bad. It may make for an interesting time. The 1980’s aesthetic is certainly welcome by me. Best I can get from the video it’s a horror themed puzzle game where you play as the villain. I’m okay with that in premise, but we’ll see how it is in actuality.
Next up we have Maid of Sker. Hmn, a sound-based survival horror title? It looks damn nice, I will say that, but I’m not one to really enjoy the survival horror genre – the look and feel, sure, but actually playing them? Well, it isn’t my cup of tea. Still, this may get a try out from me, if I can make time.
The second set of games consists of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and Costume Quest.
Another Xbox title, eh? Alright, I’ve heard good about Sphinx, although if memory serves it may have a bit of a game-breaking bug in it – I’m not sure offhand, but ignoring that it looks like a fun title that may do well for “family” play.
Lastly is Costume Quest. Funny, back in May of 2016 we got Costume Quest 2 as a game in the GWG program, so I guess it’s about time they gave us the first one. While the idea of a Halloween themed RPG seems nice I don’t know for sure if I’ll really give this a shot – I have yet to try the other sequel and I’ve had it for 4 years now!
That’s really it. I’d say this is an okay set of games; at least there aren’t any damn racing games, and they are all at least somewhat Halloween related, so there’s that. Still, as always this lineup may not be for everyone. Take it for what it is, though, and maybe you’ll have a fun time.
Regarding the game breaking bug in Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (OBVIOUS SPOILERS):
“Using one of the save points in the Mummy section immediately following a particular cutscene that would reveal Horus’ Betrayal in the story can cause a door to be permanently sealed if the play session is not immediately continued in all three console versions of the game. This traps the player, preventing further progress with no way to reverse the action. This forces the player to start over from the very beginning of the game. This bug was fixed in the PC and Switch version of the game, including the version hosted on the digital videogame distribution platform Steam.”