PAX East 2026: Halloween – First Impressions

When it comes to horror film releases in gaming – there is a specific mold that this niché genre fits into that only continues in recent times. Since the release of Dead by Daylight, we’ve seen titles follow the trend of multiplayer, asymmetric experiences that shows promise with the level of detail each universe carries, but require others to load into a lobby to fulfill the illusion we’ve got from watching the respected films.

Enter developer Illfonic: the team has carried this trend since its release of Friday The 13th: The Game all the way back in 2017 and has slowly mastered the craft with each installment like Predator: Hunting Grounds as well as Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game. Working on new properties has given the team more merit leading up to its newest project: Halloween.

Probably the most iconic slasher franchise, Illfonic is now injecting this formula into the world of Michael Myers. But unlike prior entries, this will be a first to offer a single-player experience in which is intended to be played away from its regular multiplayer apparatus. At PAX East this week, Rectify Gaming was able to sample a build for Halloween and was left surprised by what Halloween has to offer among a growing pattern of asymmetric horror titles we have already and anticipates the full release later this fall.

“Heralded as one of the very best in the genre, John Carpenter’s Halloween stands above the rest when it comes to storytelling and tension. Jared Gerritzen knew that this project wouldn’t have been complete with just a fun multiplayer experience, there needed to be an immersive singleplayer component to fully bring a true horror experience to players,” Illfonic touted upon the game’s announcement last year. 

From our time with hands-on playing Halloween, the game has proven to be an in-depth experience with several layers not expected from this genre; multiple possibilities are present for how players can explore the setting of Haddonfield. When first booting the build – a 4v1 match against a player-controlled Michael – you are instantly thrown into exploration. Already aware The Shape is in the vicinity, instinct leads you to find a way to protect yourself.

When entering a house for the first time, you’re met with an array of things to interact with: light switches; radios; televisions; windows; closets; door locks. Each harbors their own uses which can assist you come a run in with Michael Myers. Not only that, but there are NPCs that occupy these spaces too.

Atop of feeling like a world that can be interacted with, Haddonfield also feels lived in. Although other games before do accurately capture its settings, they do tend to feel empty with these areas being intended as a playground for players exclusively. But the NPC civilians flesh things out which is nice. Playing around these characters do help pick out telltale signs if Michael is in the area that you might not pick up instantly which can be helpful for even new players trying Halloween.

There is a difference between being stalked by Micahel Myers and being pursued by the serial killer. When he’s in your area, clues can reveal themselves if an NPC hasn’t told you about it yet. But once The Shape has his crosshairs on you, the classic John Carpenter theme begins to play. As you can expect, interactions with the killer himself are very straightforward. Similar to other Illfonic titles before, Killers can takedown players by simply overpowering them. And, certain instances can lead to recreating iconic kills inspired by the films: the death of Bob from the 1978 film is one example, pinning your character to the wall. But players still have a role outside of surviving too.

Once you’re removed from the equation, players can go on to assist in the manhunt for Michael Myers. Now in the role of Haddonfield PD, you are equipped with a firearm to help end the night he came home. However, you’re only given a limited amount of ammunition to take down the serial killer. Of course, he is still Michael Myers and killing him still isn’t an easy task either. The balance between roles is probably the most fun we’ve had when playing these asymmetric experiences.

The same can be said on the other side of the mask. Hunting victims in Haddonfield fully immerses you as this is Illfonic’s most visually pleasing release yet. The night time is captured very accurately with the haze from street lights beating on the autumn pavement and shadows casted across yard fences & neighborhood homes paint the picture realistically. It’s a very impressive use of Unreal Engine 5 once you see it in action.

The biggest draw back for Halloween is its optimizations. While release is later this year, September is quite a bit away and more time is still needed in some aspects. Animations between certain interactions show rough transitions. Additionally, the game even on fairly capable PCs that were on the showfloor showed times of frames dropping mid-game. But it is expected that many of these issues can be ironed out in time for the full release this fall.

You can wishlist Halloween by heading here.

Halloween releases on September 8, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.