Slayaway Camp

Lore & Background

Slayaway Camp was developed by Blue Wizard Digital, a Canadian independent game developer led by Popcap Games co-founder Jason Kapalka. After leaving Popcap, Kapalka wanted to work on projects he described as too violent for that studio, but still had experience in puzzle videogames. He described Slayaway Camp as 'the result of that unholy combination'. Kapalka cited Sokoban, Minecraft, and the block-pushing puzzle game genre as influences, but a development goal was to make a puzzle game in that tradition that was 'not boring'. This influenced the decision to theme it around slasher films and informed its art style. The game was first released on browser gaming portal Kongregate on 29 August 2016, then for Windows, macOS, and Linux on 25 October 2016. Mobile releases followed: iOS on 14 February 2017 and Android on 13 June 2017. A console version titled Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut was released for Xbox One on 23 October 2017, PlayStation 4 the day after, Nintendo Switch on 22 March 2018, and PlayStation Vita on 20 November 2018. Butcher's Cut included previously released DLC.

Gameplay involves controlling a spree killer on a square isometric grid. The killer moves in four cardinal directions but cannot stop until colliding with an obstacle or victim. Moving into a victim kills them. Later levels introduce police officers that can stop the killer, pushable bookcases, and cats the player must keep alive. Each level ends with a quick-time event themed as a close-up cut scene; completing these awards coins used for cosmetic items, hints, or walkthroughs. Levels are grouped into chapters called videos, each set in a different location, with 10 to 15 levels per video and over 200 levels total.

Reader's Guide

Slayaway Camp received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Reviewers praised the puzzle design, art style, and the juxtaposition of horror theming with puzzle gameplay. Christian Donlan of Eurogamer and Carter Dotson of Touch Arcade specifically praised this contrast, while Adam Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun described it as 'brilliant' despite not usually understanding the appeal of puzzle games. The quantity of levels and collectibles was positively received by multiple reviewers, including Tommaso Pugliese of Multiplayer.it, Dotson, and Olivia Falk of Cubed3. However, some critics noted repetitiveness in levels and issues with controls. Simon Fitzgerald of Push Square commented on repetitiveness, while James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer criticized poor controller support, and Andy Hoover of Nintendojo noted a lack of consistency in touchscreen controls. The game was named as one of the top three entries at the 2017 Google Play Indie Games Festival. Its console release led to Blue Wizard Digital being approached by Horror Inc to produce Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle (2018). A sequel, Slayaway Camp II, was released in 2024.

Did You Know?

• The game was first released on browser portal Kongregate on 29 August 2016.
• The console release led to the development of Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle (2018).