Rob Roy and Braveheart. Armageddon and Deep Impact. Marvel and DC. WWE and WCW. Where one idea comes, a second idea will always follow to bring balance in an effort to cash in. We have seen it countless times, and we're seeing it again with the newly announced Friday the 13th game. Which bears a striking resemblance to the recently Kickstarted 'Last Year'.
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According to EGM, who broke the story last Friday (the 9th, sadly), "Friday the 13th will reportedly be an asymmetrical, co-operative and competitive multiplayer predator/prey horror experience that pits a small group of resourceful survivors against a single player in control of the immortal, relentless slasher icon."
And how would you describe Last Year? Let's see, from the Kickstarter page. "In Last Year you'll experience the nightmare together as you and 5 friends struggle to survive against one player that's playing as the Killer. Explore familiar territory based on classic horror movie locations including Camp Silver Lake and East Side High. You'll play the roles of five stereotypical high school characters while co-operating to complete objectives and survive." The killers - for there are several to choose from - are also unstoppable in their own way.
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So yeah, both are asymmetrical co-op/competitive titles that put you in the shoes of cliché survivors or godlike killers. Last Year even references Camp Crystal Lake, the setting of several of the Friday the 13th films, in its opening description!
We have reached out to Last Year's creator, James Matthew Wearing, for comment regarding the sudden release of an eerily similar game.
Few other details emerged from creator Sean S. Cunningham, the original film's creator, "With a new television series on the horizon and plans announced for the thirteenth installment of the film franchise, we felt the timing was right to finally explore Jason, Camp Crystal Lake, and the rest of the Friday the 13th story in interactive form."
The last time Jason made an appearance on a console, it was in the horrendous 1989 NES title.
Last Year, meanwhile, having reached its goal, is very in-depth with its gameplay elements. Read up on it at the Kickstarter page.
An "experienced game studio has taken the reins of development" for the Jason game, according to Cunningham. An unintentional dig at Wearing. We certainly hope it was unintentional, at least.
Sadly, Friday the 13th will be reaching shores first and in the terrible collective memory that is pop-culture, will be seen as the first one. Relegating Last Year, a passion-project if ever there was any, as the second run "oh yeah, it's totally ripping off that Jason game, isn't it?" Friday the 13th will be out in October of this year. Last Year will be available in the fall of 2016.
Now, obviously we live in a world where two similar ideas can exist. But given those two similar ideas, root for the one that doesn't have such an easy path to success. Root for the underdog.
