In 1988, the Chiodo brothers released the cult classic comedy horror filmKiller Klowns from Outer Space. The movie told the bizarre tale of alien clowns terrorizing a small town by trapping people in cotton candy cocoons, miniaturizing them with demonic shadow puppets, and shooting them with popcorn bazookas. A B-movie favorite,Killer Klowns from Outer Spacedidn’t exactly take off as a franchise like other horror movies of the 80s. No sequel has been released in the decades since, but fans now have a video game based on the movie to play, at least.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gameis an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game where a team of three Klowns tries to hunt down and harvest seven unlucky humans. EssentiallyDead by Daylightwith alien clowns,Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gamewasdeveloped by Teravision Games and IllFonic, the latter of which worked on similar games likeFriday the 13th: The Game,Predator: Hunting Grounds, andGhostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. Making an entire game out of an 88-minute-long B-movie is a big ask, and unfortunately,Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gameis unlikely to usurpDead by Daylightas the premiere asymmetrical multiplayer horror game on the market.
Anyone familiar withDead by Daylightor any of the other aforementioned games will know exactly how a match ofKiller Klowns from Outer Spaceplays out. The Klowns have to hunt down all the humans, while the humans have to work together to escape. As usual, the Klowns are overpowered compared to the humans, with the idea being that the human survivors will work as a coordinated team to protect each other, outwit the Klowns, and ultimately escape with their lives. Without proper communication, the humans don’t really stand a chance against the Klowns, but yet it’s still way more fun to play as the humans.
Running aroundKiller Klowns from Outer Space’s various mapsas the humans, hiding from the Klowns and working together with friends to make it out alive, can lead to some thrilling moments. Encountering one of the grotesque, waddling Klowns is terrifying, and running away from them can lead to some memorable chase sequences.Killer Klowns from Outer Spacelends itself well to heart-pumping moments where players are doing everything they can to get away from the creatures, whether that’s hiding in a dumpster or taking the fight directly to them with a knife.
Humans are free to loot coolers and other objects dotted around the map to find helpful items that can give them anadvantage over the Klowns. For example, if they happen to get trapped in a cotton candy cocoon, they can use the knife to cut their way free and have another chance at winning the match. Stocking up on items and using them wisely is key to success as a human inKiller Klowns from Outer Space, and it can be great fun when it clicks.
What’s not fun is when players die early in a match as a survivor, as the game is likely to continue on for another 10 minutes. While they’re dead, players can complete mini-games to give their fellow survivors various bonuses and helpful items, but these mini-games quickly become more boring than simply sitting and waiting for the match to be over. There’s whack-a-mole, Simon Says, and a handful of other games, and though they’re amusing at first, they become very tedious before too long.
The Klown Experience vs. The Human Experience
Even so, the survivor experience inKiller Klowns from Outer Spaceis far superior toplaying as a Klown, which is a drag. Klowns are tasked with either killing the humans through brute force or harvesting them using cotton candy cocoons. A lot of the time, playing as a Klown inKiller Klowns from Outer Spacemeans wandering around large maps and hoping to luck upon a player. After finding an unlucky human, Klowns can zap them with a cotton candy gun, bash them with a mallet, lure them using psychic powers, and more, depending on one’s class and loadout. Hanging up cotton candy pods and harvesting humans means lugging things around and taking them to machines dotted around the map, which isn’t nearly as thrilling as the human survival experience.
As the match goes on, the Klowns unlock new abilities like the power to “jump” to anywhere on the map, for instance. Klowns can also commit Fatality-like finishing moves on humans that they down, and while these are funny at first, they don’t go nearly far enough to be even close to as entertaining as theMortal KombatFatalities. There is still fun to be had as Klowns when playing with the right group of friends, but most of the time it is a big letdown whenever the random team selector chooses Klowns instead of humans.
There is the option to do custom matches and the game supports bots, though the bots are absolutely useless in our experience. TheKiller Klowns from Outer Spacebots tend to walk aimlessly around the map and slow down considerably when trying to walk through doors. Hopefully, the game’s player count is healthy enough that players don’t have to worry about dealing with bots, but it is something to consider.
The bots aren’t the only thing underwhelming about theKiller Klowns from Outer Space: The Gameexperience. The game also has some technical problems that need sorted out, like scoreboards not accurately displaying the number of kills for Klowns and cocoons flying out of bounds, leaving the survivor with no hope of being saved. Players will also be disappointed that the majority of objects found in the maps have no form of interaction, which can make the maps, though lovingly recreated from the movie, feel lifeless.
Killler Klowns from Outer Space Nails the Movie’s Aesthetic
As is typically the story of asymmetrical multiplayer games, theKiller Klowns from Outer Spaceexperience is a mixed bag. There are times when it’s a blast, but there are also times when it’s a serious drag. One’s enjoyment of the game will also largely depend on how they feel about the 1988 movie. Someone that’s a huge fan of the movie will get a kick out of howKiller Klowns from Outer Space: The Gameabsolutely nails the movie’s style. Getting to visit memorable locations from the movie is a lot of fun, the banter in the game is hilarious, and seeing the wardrobes of characters like Mike Tobacco recreated in video game form never gets old. The iconic theme song is used to great effect as well.
Besides the general aesthetic,Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gamealso does a great job with progression. Players have challenges to complete to unlock new customization options, and leveling up means gaining access to new classes and abilities. The core experience is still not going to appeal to everyone, but for those that do like the game, it at least provides worthwhile reasons to keep playing.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gameis not going to convert anyone that isn’t already a fan of these types of games, and honestly, there are better, more polished versions of this already out there. Hardcorefans of theKiller Klownsmoviewill get the most out of the game adaptation, and it’s hard to recommend it to anyone else, really. The game has its moments, but it’s unlikely to keep most players entertained for all that long.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Gamewill launch on June 4 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
