Killer Klowns from Outer Space recently landed in the multiplayer video game market. Based on the 1988 comedy-horror movie of the same name, players are transported back to Cresent Cove in a fight for survival. IllFonics is no stranger to the asymmetric gaming community. The company started strong with Friday the 13th, pitting camp counselors looking to escape Jason Voorhees. Since then, IllFonic has released similar games using the Predator and Ghostbusters franchises.
While the last two games received mediocre to negative reviews, this is an opportunity for IllFonic to learn from past mistakes. Have they done that or is Killer Klowns doomed to flop out of clown college?
Killer Klowns Gameplay
The Killer Klowns are trying to bring about a Klownpocalypse within the various areas of the city. Three Klowns will explore the area looking for survivors to kill or transform into cotton candy.
Seven survivors will be forced to explore through the same maps. Rummaging through homes, businesses, and containers strewn about the city, the survivors are looking for weapons, health, and items to help escape. In the final minute of the match, the Klownpocalypse begins. Any survivor still in the match after the timer runs out is instantly killed.
Klowns are not the only killers in-game. Survivors can gather weapons to use against their foes. After being dealt enough damage the Klowns are stunned for a few seconds. The survivors must use something to strike the Klown in the nose to kill it (for 45 seconds).
How do players escape? There are five ways to exit: bunker, bridge/tunnel, boat, or portal. To get these four to work, you must gather spark plugs, gasoline, and keys, and clear away anything blocking your exit. The fifth way to escape happens in the final thirty seconds of the match. The Terenzi Bros crash their ice cream truck through the edge of the map. This leaves you able to exit through a hole left.
Killer Klowns Has a Lot of Good and Bad
The graphics are good but the sound is the main show. Fans of the movie will be well acquainted with “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” by The Dickies. In-game music will transport players back to scenes from the Killer Klowns movie. John Massari, the composer of the movie’s score, made some of the in-game music! Grant Cramer and Suzanne Snyder even reprise their Mike Tobacco and Debbie Stone roles as DLC characters.
The Hand of Fate minigames are a pleasant addition. After a player has died, the Hand of Fate games begin. A counter appears on the bottom half of the screen with the minigame. Every time a minigame is completed, the player is shown three cards and must pick one. That card offers a random card that can be given to a living player, kept in the event of a resurrection, or discarded if of no use. This helps give deceased players something to do to help turn the tide.
Are you tired of playing against humans? Killer Klowns allows players to play solo or with friends against bots. This can be helpful as it will help players get used to the weaponry and mechanics of Klowns or how to play as survivors. The only downside is the game does not offer the ability to play as survivors with Klown bots. You need a friend to play as the Klown.
Proximity chat is available in the game. The voice of a player’s teammates can be heard when in proximity to said players. Honestly, I am not sure how I feel about it. Many have been against proximity chat in other asymmetrical games for fear of toxicity. Many games offering proximity chat have revealed the darkness within their player base. Thus far, every game I’ve played has featured helpful players. Time will tell if this continues. Where could the game improve?
The first thing I do whenever I play a video game with various mechanics is check the tutorial. To call what Killer Klowns has as a “tutorial” is being generous. Some games send the player into actual gameplay to explain mechanics. Not Killer Klowns from Outer Space. No, the player is given three options concerning gameplay. Each option affords players a few slides that meagerly explain the mechanics. This can make knowing how to escape confusing for players. Hopefully, in a future update, this will change.
Bugs are present in the game. During the Klownpocalypse, the final survivor started toward the recently opened exit. Upon getting to the exit, an invisible wall kept the player from leaving. Other players have complained about not being able to pick up items. These will need to be fixed.
The games can be a pain as I constantly play against people more skilled than myself. While the obvious answer is for me to “git gud,” this does bring up another problem. It can be frustrating for a brand-new player to join a game against players at a higher level. The Klowns will have much more powerful weapons. The Survivors will have a knowledgeable game plan.
My first game as a Klown was met with survivors who grouped and destroyed any Klown who got near them. My first game as a Survivor was met with Klowns with higher-tiered weaponry. In both instances, I quickly died or was transformed into cotton candy.
Another complaint deals with how players gain experience to level up. The only way players receive experience is by waiting until the game ends. Sounds reasonable, right? Not always. A player joins the game, dies within the first two minutes, and waits. A short time later the ability to resurrect dead characters appears. Good, right? Not always.
Some Klowns have taken to camping the resurrection machine, leaving it an unviable choice for remaining players. At that point, players must watch their fellow living survivors, play the minigames, and wait. While games only last fifteen minutes, there needs to be an option for players to leave, get their experience, and move on to another game. There is no reason to force players to stay.
While Quality-of-life changes need to be made in the future, I think IllFonic has made an enjoyable party game. Rankings do not pressure players to win every game. This allows players to enjoy the game for what it is: a silly game based in the world of a comedy-horror movie. IllFonic has hopefully learned from past games like Predator: Haunted Ground and Ghostbusters: Spirit’s Unleashed to make more improvements to this game. The last thing we need is another asymmetrical game to get shot in the nose.
For More Great Content
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily detailed articles every day on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Entertainment, Total Apex Gaming, Total Apex Sports Bets, and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
