By Alejandro Caminos, journalist, screenwriter and G&M News’ collaborator.
For years, Halloween stopped being simply an American holiday to expand to the whole. It is also a must in much of popular and geek culture, whether they are movies, series or comics with a major focus on terror, suspense and the supernatural. The video game industry is no stranger to this at all. Large developers decided to launch special events and create different experiences to add content and users to their lists. This is how Gaming & Media News reviews this celebration according to a gamer approach.
THE GHOST HUNTING EPIC
Ghostbusters is a franchise that has been passed down generation after generation. Its strong relationship with spectral and supernatural makes it very popular in Halloween. Epic Games understood this and put Ghostbusters on their schedule. For its part, in order to attract more players, Psyonix -owned by Epic– decided to take a new step in holding special events. That is why it is currently developing Haunted Hollows, which will be available next November 2nd. It also has two limited edition game modes, such as Haunted Heatseeker and Spike Fever. Until then, players will have the chance to obtain different items related to the movie saga, if they meet a series of challenges. Rewards might be from frames for your avatars, signs for the player, ornaments of the famous Slimer, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man –who also offers wheels-, some ghost traps and two accelerators. Halloween had its great point in the return of one of the most memorable vehicles in all of geek culture: the Ecto-1. From the virtual store of the title, players could purchase this modified hearse to use it in each of their matches, as well as a celebration of the Marshmallow Man, from his first appearance in the 1984 film with Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver.
In the same vibe, Fortnite -known for its crossovers with Marvel and Star Wars, among other sagas-also got into the eighties fashion and added Ghostbusters. Players who want to get hold of the Ghostbusters cosmetics, costumes and items can get them through the store for a limited time.
This occurs within the Fortnitemares: Mida’s Revenge event (November 1st) that presents a new mode in which defeated players transform into shadows in order to attack the survivors of the Battle Royale. Of course, Halloween-like weapons are available for players.
MORE ATTRACTIVE PROPOSALS
Apex Legends (from Respawn Entertainment) joined the wave of terror with a proposal that includes three new modes such as Fight or Nightmare, Shadowfall and Shadow Royale. In the latter, players who lose the game will have the ability to transform into zombies or shadows to hunt down living players. They won’t be able to reuse weapons, but to engage in a melee attack. In turn, the developer is putting last year’s twenty-four cosmetics and skins on sale for a limited time. If we talk about shooters, we cannot fail to mention Call of Duty, especially its Modern Warfare and Warzone titles. The renowned Activision and Infinity Ward game currently features the Zombie Royale mode, within The Haunting of Verdansk event, in which fallen players will transform into the undead to eliminate those who are still alive. Moreover, other new modalities are included, such as Nighttime BR, Juggourdnaut Royale and Nighttime Plunder. Besides, there is new skins and cosmetic content from Saw (‘El Juego del Miedo’ in Latin America) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which will allow fans to dress up as Jigsaw or Leatherface.
CHILDREN ALSO WANT TO PLAY
If there is something about Halloween, it is that it includes the entire demographic, and children are no exception. In this case, the Japanese developer Nintendo decided to add new content related to this holiday in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, its current most successful title and for Nintendo Switch. In this way, this virtual life simulation title introduces new objects, farming mechanics and themed recipes for Halloween. New customizations and outfits are also available for this special occasion.
On the mobile side, a franchise that always joins this annual event is Pokémon through Pokémon Go. Developer Niantic increased the respawn of wild pokémon of ghost and sinister types, such as Gengar and Spiritomb, among others. In addition, Pikachu, Sableye and Gengar -this one, only in raids- will have themed costumes for a limited time. Finally, singular Darkrai pokémon will reappear in legendary raids. This pocket monster is the guardian of darkness and has the ability to generate nightmares on others. All of this will be available until November 3rd.