Skip to main content

Retro-inspired Halloween, Evil Dead platformers coming this October — with a little twist

RetroRealms Announcement Trailer

Remember when Boss Team Games announced it was working on two games based on the 1978 slasher classic Halloween yesterday? Well, the studio followed up on that news today by revealing one of those games is a 16-bit action platformer, and it’s coming out in October.

Recommended Videos

WayForward Technologies has teamed up with Boss Team on the first two titles for RetroRealms, a new series of retro-inspired console and PC games. The first are ones based on Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead, and both are set to release on October 18 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

“Everyone at Boss Team Games are huge fans of horror and getting to work with these legendary properties is a dream come true,” Boss Team CEO Steve Harris said in a press release. The studio had previously worked on the asymmetric 4v1 Evil Dead: The Game, and is working with John Carpenter on another Halloween title being developed in Unreal Engine 5.

RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead are both 16-bit platformers. They’re not exactly movie accurate, but in the trailer, you can see familiar set pieces from each franchise; you can control Ash running his chainsaw arm through crowds of enemies or Michael escaping from prison and heading to the old Myers home.

“We’ve designed a whole new kind of gameplay that is unique to the RetroRealms titles and highlights the over-the-top gore and special abilities of these characters,” WayForward president Voldi Way said in the press release.

They’re standalone titles that are purchased separately, but buying both unlocks new features, including the ability to move characters from one to the other. What would it be like to have Michael Myers take out the demons from the Evil Dead franchise? There’s also a hub called RetroRealms Arcade where players can access the games, redeem in-game tickets, and check out other content.

Each RetroRealms game will cost $25 individually or for $50 in a Double Feature bundle, both of which are available for preorder. There’s also a Collector’s Edition that’ll cost $100 that comes with both games, DLC that adds Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell, a 12-inch Michael Myers plush, and other goodies.

Carli Velocci
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
We made our own 2024 Game Awards expansion pack with 5 new categories
Hades 2 key art from its first trailer.

In the lead-up to last year's Game Awards, we noted that the ceremony could use some new categories. We felt that the current list was starting to feel lacking, especially as a shifting game industry has moved more toward remakes, early access launches, and more. We secretly hoped that someone running the show would take those suggestions to heart and adopt them. That didn't happen with this year's nominations, leading to all sorts of discourse about whether a DLC should be considered for Game of the Year and when is the right time to include it.

So we've taken matters into our own hands: welcome to Digital Trends' 2024 Game Awards Expansion Pack!

Read more
NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Thursday, November 21
The Mini open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Love crossword puzzles but don't have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That's what The Mini is for!

A bite-sized version of the New York Times' well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time (the average puzzle takes most players just over a minute to solve). While The Mini is smaller and simpler than a normal crossword, it isn't always easy. Tripping up on one clue can be the difference between a personal best completion time and an embarrassing solve attempt.

Read more
NYT Crossword: answers for Thursday, November 21
New York Times Crossword logo.

The New York Times has plenty of word games on its roster today — with Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword, there's something for everyone — but the newspaper's standard crossword puzzle still reigns supreme. The daily crossword is full of interesting trivia, helps improve mental flexibility and, of course, gives you some bragging rights if you manage to finish it every day.

While the NYT puzzle might feel like an impossible task some days, solving a crossword is a skill and it takes practice — don't get discouraged if you can't get every single word in a puzzle.

Read more