Here we go again, another old school, horror video game end screen. This time around in honor of today being Friday the 13th, we take on Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
During the first day of scrambling around Camp Crystal Lake when not dodging zombies, ravens and wolves you’ll periodically have to duck into random cabins to stave off Jason as he attempts to attack the campers within.
If you damage him enough and manage to survive with at least one counselor you’ll be treated to this screen:
That being said, you’ll start up on day two. Which is more of the same: kill the zombies, wolves and ravens, fight the reanimated, decapitated head of Pamela Voorhees and again go one on one with Jason.
Take him out during day two and you’ll be treated to the following. This time around there’s a picture! Jason, after having been soundly beaten, truly looks like a defeated man. Head hung in shame, mask deformed and askew, shoulders slumped and gut hanging out. He looks like Homer Simpson dressed up as Jason. But then….
Jason looks straight ahead, his piercing gaze searing your very soul. His shoulders squared and gut sucked in, (legs however, still splayed) he’s ready to take on day three.
Day three holds more zombies, ravens and wolves, one more throw down with Pamela and if you make it that far, your final confrontation with Jason.
After all of the rocks, knifes, machetes, pitchforks and torches you hurled at the undead bastard, Jason finally dies. In defeat he is again reduced to a frumpy, broken down heap and as a completely dissatisfied gamer we’re left with another cliched “is he really dead?” end screen.
This time around, unlike the movies, Jason really did stay dead as there hasn’t been another officially licensed Friday the 13th game since. So I guess, congratulations, as a gamer you have succeeded in doing what ten movies worth of protagonists failed to do: Put Jason down and keep him down.
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