Halloween on the Atari 2600 is Creepy, but Boring

Halloween on the Atari 2600 is an interesting game. It was made by Wizard Video Games, who brought us Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the Atari 2600. Of the two, Halloween is the better game.

While neither game will end up on a best-of list, Halloween is perfectly enjoyable. It isn’t bad at all. It might be boring by today’s standards, but in 1983, it would’ve been perfectly fine.

This is an arcade-like game. There is no end goal, even though there is a perfectly fine way to end a level in the game. You’re playing for a high score, so you can brag to all of the friends that you don’t have about playing Halloween on the Atari 2600 for an embarrassing amount of time.

TLDR: Halloween is a perfectly fine game on the Atari 2600.

History

Halloween received better review scores than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The review scores were still average, but they were better than the reviews of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Reviewers were still critical of the blood and violence in the game.

Like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween was controversial because of its mature content. While tame by today’s standards, it was shocking to see humans being killed. According to the internet, the game sold poorly because retailers refused to stock it.

I’ve been unable to corroborate this, and I would guess it had more to do with the North American video game crash. I’m sure there is a source out there somewhere, but I’ve been unable to find anything from the 80s that points to a refusal from retailers.

Narrative

The game is based on the first movie, I think. You play as Laurie Strode, and you’re trying to save kids. Michael Myers is wandering around and is trying to kill you. That’s the story. Have fun for about 10-15 minutes, and then go outside!

Gameplay

There isn’t too much to the gameplay in Halloween. There are no levels, endings, or anything you might expect for a game like this. It can get boring as you’re playing for a high score.

The game gives you three lives. Once you’re out of lives, you’ll need to restart. You can’t get more lives, and Michael Myers gets faster as the game progresses.

You don’t have to save the kids, but if you want those precious points, you need to escort the kids to either the left or the right of the house. These two rooms are safe places. There is no explanation for how they’re safe, and I guess you’re not supposed to think about it too much.

There are two parts to the house that you’re character is forever trapped in. You start downstairs, and by using one of the doors, you can go upstairs, However, you can’t leave the house. This is the only thing that makes sense because it is based on a horror movie where no one makes smart decisions.

The upstairs is more dangerous. The lights flicker on and off in some rooms, making it a little hard to avoid Michael. Oh, and the kids will run away if they see Michael Myers, which can be a little annoying.

If Michael catches you, he will decapitate your character. It is one of the better things in the game. There isn’t too much to this.

The music changes when Michael enters a room. He teleports around, making the game rather creepy. The developers did a much better job making this game feel like a horror game.

You can fight back against Michael Myers. The game has a weapon power-up that lets you chase Michael away. I believe it is a knife, but it could be anything because of the Atari 2600 graphics.

You get points for saving the kids and stabbing Michael Myers. That is it. There isn’t anything else to the gameplay. It is what you should expect from an Atari 2600 game.

Visuals

It looks pretty good for an Atari 2600 game. It looks better than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It isn’t anything amazing, but it is good enough.

The digital deaths are one of the more impressive parts of the visuals. The character will wander around while blood spurts out from their neck. It is a little shocking to see this on the Atari, and reviewers in 1983 weren’t kind to the game because of it.

Looking at this today, the developers of Halloween did a better job with the deaths than the developers of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre did. It is also a more effective horror game. The graphics help out a lot.

If you go upstairs, you’ll run into some of the rooms with flashing lights. This cool effect makes the encounters with Michael Myers a little scarier. It reminds me of Haunted House but done much better.

This is one of the better-looking Atari 2600 games. It isn’t amazing, but there are enough things that make it an effective horror game for the time. However, the multi-colored rooms are a little ridiculous, even if I understand why they did it.

6.5/10. Halloween can be a fun horror game, but it is hamstrung by the time it was made. Relying on getting a high score is part of the problem. It would’ve been a better game if there was some end goal for the game.

Pros

• Creepy
• Decent controls
• Good music

Cons

• Reliance on a High Score
• Boring after a few minutes
• No ending

Conclusion

Halloween for the Atari 2600 is an okay game. It isn’t even close to being the worst game on the Atari 2600. The game can get boring after a while, but you can say that about any game on the Atari 2600. No one was expecting you to play these games for hours on end.

It can be a creepy game and uses jump scares and music well. It probably won’t scare anyone today, but it might have startled kids in 1983. It is also one of the early examples of a horror game.

This game is unfairly lumped in with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre because the same company published them. It isn’t that bad. I almost forgot: many copies of the games were released with the name “Halloween” taped on the cartridge. Wizard Video Games was shutting down, and they didn’t bother with labels.