DEAD BY DAYLIGHT A Nightmare on Elm Street Review for PlayStation 4

Ever yell at a horror movie you’re watching? Condemn characters for their poor choices? How about: Wish you could show ‘em how it’s done? Well; if so, this is your chance of a lifetime. Dead by Daylight from powerhouses Behaviour Digital (Far Cry 3 and Shadow of Mordor) and published by Starbreeze Studios (Pay Day 2 and Brothers) is not only the answer for your victim yearning but also the only appropriate way to enjoy killing your friends like a notorious mass serial killer. This one killer versus four survivors online multiplayer won’t fail to feel like your in one of your favorite horror movies.

Premise:

Stay alive! If you’re a survivor trapped with a serial killer there isn’t much else to think about, but here you have to because death is not an escape. Focus on working with your teammates to get five generators started to power the gates and make it to safety as quickly as possible.

KILL! If you’re one of the creepy killers then all you want is to make sacrifices to the giant sky spider alien demon thing, called “The Entity.”

This game has some awesome DLC characters for horror movie and video game fans: Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and Mike Myers even coming with popular Left4Dead Character Bill Overbeck. The DLC might be my favorite part of this game truly giving fans the ability to be iconic characters and walk the streets of movies they grew up fearing. Far different from when I was a kid and didn’t even want to go down any road called Elm street, but now I can visit Badham preschool and live the nightmare or be the nightmare.

Gameplay:

This is an asymmetric multiplayer horror game, that means its a 4v1 online multiplayer that pits one killer against four survivors trying desperately to get through the gates to freedom. Players level up and build a skill tree for their favorite characters giving additional perks and bonuses.

Survivor game play allows you to work as a team and use a bunch of bonus items to help make escaping go a little more smoothly. Some of these items include a tool kit to help you get generators started more easily, a medkit to help heal your allies and self more quickly, or a high powered flashlight to momentarily blind your asselent. Survivors get the added bonus of seeing the game in 3rd person this allows seeing the surroundings more easily and to dodge an oncoming murderer that’s behind you.

Survivors also have movement benefits like quickly jumping over things or collapsing debris in a killer’s path. Each survivor has his or her own unique survivor attributes; Quentin Smith for example has “wake up” which reveals exit gates and allows teammates nearby to see his aura enabling them to find the exit more quickly even opening the gates faster too. Another of Smith’s perks is “Pharmacy” allowing him to search through chests faster, more quietly, and always find a med kit the first time. Lastly “Vigil” allows the player and allies within an eight meter radius to recover from status effects faster. Each character has different perk attributes which can be improved in the blood web.

Each killer has three character perks as well. Freddy Krueger for example has the main power of “dream demon” plus the three perks “Fire up” grants speed bonuses when survivors start generators, “Remember me” slows the opening of the gates, and “blood warden” which for a limited time summons the entity blocking the exits after one person is hooked while the gates are open and shows the aura’s of survivors near the gates. Freddy is unique in that he is invisible until a victim is pulled into the dream world by being put asleep with his dream demon power. Don’t worry though Freddy does at least rustle grass and when he gets close the survivors here creepy music so it’s not too unfair.

Conclusion: If you loved 2K’s Evolve but wanted to be more of a monster than the game would allow this game is for you. Its creepy whether you play as a killer or a survivor and really puts you into a horror movie like no other. This game is a six in my book but with the really cool DLC it makes it a seven, Freddy Krueger is excellently creepy in this game and I’m a little bit jumpier for it.

Pros: Iconic characters, Great DLC, Live a horror movie

Cons: Limited amount of things to do in the game

Rating: 7/10

Check Out the Dead by Daylight: A Nightmare on Elm Street Spotlight Trailer:

Dead by Daylight is out now and available on Steam and consoles.

Greg Vander Velde

+ posts

I've been a life long nerd and video game junkie known to associate with the likes of Link, Nathan Drake, Batman, and Master Chief. I'm a filmmaker by profession, but spend lots of time behind a controller escaping the real world. @GregVelde on Instagram/Twitter/YouTube

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review for PlayStation 5
• The Rogue Prince of Persia Preview for Steam Early Access
• SAND LAND Review for PlayStation 5
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Review for Steam