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Evil Dead: The Game is the newest iteration of the classic horror franchise that's been going strong since the first movie was released nearly 40 years ago. The game will follow the same idea as the show and movies, with Ash and his Deadite-fighting team kicking butt across the United States. The Evil Dead IP has seen several movies and a TV show with multiple seasons, headlined by the original Ash, Bruce Campbell. Now, Campbell will return again in video game form with Evil Dead: The Game, which will also let players take control of iconic characters like Pablo, Kelly, and even a demonic force.
While the game already has iconic characters, that's only half the equation to making agame that serves as a proper adaptation. If Evil Dead: The Game wants to make a true impact with fans, then it'll need to do an adequate job of recreating the famous locations that fans have seen in the various media before it. The locations could also be used to inject a little humor into the horror game formula, something the show and movies were able to capture. To keep the game from looking like another zombie game, the developers at Saber Interactive need to make it feel as much like Evil Dead as possible.
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The Cabin in the Woods
The iconic Evil Dead cabin was originally built in Morristown, Tennessee, but has long since been burnt to the ground by Sam Raimi, the original director. That being said, versions of the cabin have been recreated and have appeared in various movies and TV since. It seems impossible to imagine an Evil Dead game without the iconic cabin, and the developers seem to agree. Players were given brief glimpses of the cabin in the recently released gameplay trailer. The level of interaction and detail has yet to be shown, but it's a promising sign to see such an important landmark.
The Pit
Army of Darkness was the third title in the franchise and a strange departure from the prior two films. In this movie, Ash has been transported back to 1300s England, where he's quickly thrown into a pit used to hold Deadites. While it might seem strange to include, a medieval character was already shown in the most recent trailer. Including a similar pit or another favorite map from Army of Darkness is sure to appease some of the fans who've been faithful to the series since the beginning.
S-Mart
This is the only location that would be just as terrifying without the Deadites, as customer service is enough to send a chill down anyone's spine. However, it would also be a great opportunity to include or introduce Ash and Pablo, as they were both introduced in the show working at the superstore. Seeing Ash return to his old workplace and get some retail therapy from beating up the Deadite that was once his boss could prove entertaining. There's also the opportunity for humor in this setting, riffing on capitalism or letting the player use their environment to their advantage.
The upcoming Evil Dead: The Game has the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of the series before it, but that doesn't mean it can skim on its name alone. Plenty of popular game adaptations have been ruined by a lack of interest in the IP, and only time will tell if this game can live up to its name. That being said, Saber Interactive has worked on past titles like Vampyr and the Halo Anniversary editions, so it's more than proven its capability as a developer. Players will be able to fight Deadites or become them when the game releases next year, and hopefully they will do so inside some classic locales.
Evil Dead: The Game releases in February 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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