Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game

Even as a kid, when I went to see Killer Klowns from Outer Space at the movie theater, I knew that it was going to be a big, silly parody of B-rate horror films. What I didn’t expect was for it to be a genuinely well-made and razor-sharp satire on the genre, complete with a fun cast full of memorable characters and surprisingly effective special effects. And while it wasn’t a big hit back in 1988, Killer Klowns managed to become a cult classic thanks to home video and a timeless story that holds up shockingly well. So well, in fact, that I didn’t even bat an eye when I heard that they were turning it into a video game nearly four-decades after it first hit theaters. Now that the game is finally out, is this return to Crescent Cove sweet like cotton candy or a big top nightmare? That’s what we’re about to find out what I review Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

You don’t need to have seen the Killer Klowns from Outer Space movie to play this new game, but it does help. For those who missed out on the original cult classic, it’s basically a parody of the cheesy horror movies from the 1950s and 60s. They basically took the plot of The Blob and replaced the red goo with a bunch of killer circus clowns. This was, after all, the 1980s, a time when clowns had gone from being family-friendly entertainment to the scariest thing ever, thanks in large part to Stephen King’s It and the murder spree of John Wayne Gacy. Killer Klowns managed to marry our fears of space aliens and clowns, creating a genuinely clever horror film that was able to be funny and scary at the exact same time.

The game builds on the ideas found in the movie, turning the klowns vs. humans concept into a fun and engaging multiplayer competition where both sides are trying to complete different goals. The klowns, for example, are trying to hunt down the townspeople and turn them into cotton candy in order to usher in the deadly klownpocalypse and bring an end to civilization as we know it. The humans, on the other hand, are just trying to fight back and escape. It’s a tension-filled cat-and-mouse scenario, only with the cats being these massive (and grotesque) klowns and the mice being braindead teenagers in bad ‘80s fashion.

While the premise is simple enough, how you go about completing the missions is more nuanced than I make it sound. For instance, the humans are a lot weaker and easier to kill than the klowns. They can only hold four different items or weapons, which will often mean making difficult choices that could be the difference between life and death. In order to survive the evil klown menace, they’ll need to band together and work as a team to find the items they need and open escape routes, all as stealthily as humanly possible.

Of course, it’s not going to be that easy. There are a lot of things designed to split the humans apart, and I don’t mean in a klown fatality sort of way. Every exit will require finding a series of items, including a keycard, spark plugs, gas cans and more. You’ll need to use these items to get the boat working again, allowing the humans to escape. The problem is that only a few people can get on the boat. The same is true for the bridge out of town. If too many people try to cross, it will collapse. This has a way of not only splitting up the teams, but also giving everybody an incentive to be a little selfish. After all, when a killer klown is chasing you, nobody says you have to be the fastest. You just need to make sure you’re not the slowest.

Speaking of the klowns, their goal is a lot easier (and, let’s be honest, more fun). This is played more like a third-person action game, with each klown using one of the humorous circus guns from the movie. We start out with a ray gun that turns the humans into cotton candy, but it won’t be long before you’re able to upgrade to a shotgun that shoots out popcorn. That’s the kind of game we’re playing here.

The goal is for the three klowns in the stage to hunt down the seven humans, turn them into cotton candy and then hang them up on Lackey Generators. There are four of these generators scattered around the stage, each with four spots to hang the human cotton candy. As soon as you fill up all four of the generators, you’ll trigger the klownpocalypse and any human that hasn’t escaped will die. This is also what happens when time runs out, but the klowns can trigger the devastation a lot sooner by filling up the generators.

Not only do the klowns have guns and can respawn, but they also have a series of special moves and abilities they can pull off as the round goes on. For example, one of the helpful abilities is to warp to different parts of the stage in order to find humans. Another move you can select will let you hunt with a balloon dog or put the humans in a trance, making them easier to turn into cotton candy. There are a bunch of different special abilities that you can unlock and select when customizing your klown, which can make these aliens feel a bit overpowered at times.

However, there are certainly some downsides when playing a klown. They are slower and lumber around. You’ll also find that it takes a while to subdue the humans, often giving them enough time to run away or fight back. And just because you’re a killer klown, don’t think that you’re invisible. All it takes is two or three of these humans to team up and you’ll be out of the game, at least temporarily. While the klowns can’t scavenge for items, the humans can, and that can include knives, guns, baseball bats and more. If given an opportunity, those pesky humans can make those space invaders regret coming to America.

The online multiplayer rounds take place in five different locations, each based on different scenes in the film. Neither too big nor too small, the stages find a nice balance where there’s plenty of room to run around and find items, but it’s never so big that it’s overwhelming. The stage designs are probably my favorite part of this game, taking you to the amusement park, a classic make-out point up at the old lighthouse, the absolutely devastated suburbs, downtown Crescent Cove and out at the old summer camp. Although there aren’t a lot of levels, I like how each one has a different look and atmosphere, and it’s fun to see what happened to the once peaceful city after the killer klowns showed up. There’s a lot of great and detailed destruction and carnage, and it works as both nostalgia for us long-time fans, as well as just interesting settings for those who have never seen the film.

The big problem with the level designs is that they are built in such a way where you’ll see the same few escape routes (with the same requirements) in every single stage. Sure, that makes it easy to know what you’re supposed to be doing, but it also holds the game back. The idea of jumping on a boat to escape the klowns makes sense on some of the levels, but why not escape the camp grounds using a truck or ATV? It feels like a missed opportunity to not have each stage host their own unique exits. Not only would this have shaken up the action and kept everybody on their toes, but it would have given these different stages more personality.

This issue just hints at the bigger problem, which is the game’s inherent repetition. Even though being able to play as both the klowns and the humans definitely shakes things up, there’s no question that performing the same tasks every time you play starts to get old after a while. Like all asymmetrical multiplayer games, I had a great time early on, when I was learning the levels and the gameplay loop was still fresh. However, as I gained experience and unlocked the different characters, weapons and abilities, I found myself getting bored of the loop. Long before I hit level 30, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen and done everything the game has to offer. There wasn’t enough variety to keep me invested, and collecting the clothes and accessories wasn’t enough of a hook to make me want to play every day.

That’s a shame, because this game has a lot going for it. The visual presentation is strong and the levels are both well-constructed and beautifully detailed. The game handles well, no matter if you’re a klown or human. There are plenty of movie-related gags that are fun, like the invisible car and dog made out of balloons. And did I mention the gory fatalities? Those are also a lot of fun. The problem is that all this gets old due to the lack of variety. This is a game in serious need of different modes or at least games that mix things up a bit. Add some story elements and a reason for me to keep coming back, and I’ll be there. When it comes right down to it, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a good game that could have been great.