Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game Review

Well, it’s 2024 and I never in a million years thought we would see a game based on the 1988 classic movie Killer Klowns From Outer Space, yet here we are. I was three years old when the film launched but I recall watching it when I was around eleven and finding it wacky yet terrifying. The ideology behind transforming the movie concept into an online multiplayer video game is genius. Developed by Illfonic and Terravision Games and published by Illfonic, I knew immediately that I would adore this. The team at Illfonic have produced some fantastic games that have been transformed from movies, Predator, Friday The 13th and Ghostbusters.

Thanks to the wonderful team at Illfonic and their generosity, I was given a fair few codes so that I could review this with some friends, one of which tested the cross-platform play between Steam and Xbox. Apart from a few niggles with server issues before the official launch, we had a hilariously fun time and I may or may not have been told off by my partner for laughing too much or screaming as a klown was ready to pounce on me. If you played Friday The 13th by Illfonic then this bears many similarities, but it nestles in the same genre as titles like Dead By Daylight or the very recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So if you love asymmetrical horror titles then this one is an absolute must-buy for you.

Humans Versus Klowns

The premise is very simple, the humans need to survive and escape the map whilst the Klowns have to prevent the humans from escaping by capturing and slaughtering them. It seems like an odd number to balance out lobbies with 7 humans and 3 Klowns in each match but it seems to work. Unfortunately, I did find a lack of a tutorial so you are left to figure out how the game functions yourself. For me though, I had fun discovering how the game plays out for myself on either team.

Humans Must Work Together

Humans have to pick an escape route and this is where the game becomes interesting when a squad is communicating and cooperating. You can choose to flee with five methods, via boat, bridge, bunker, portal or Terenzi Brothers Ice Cream Van. Most options require you to obtain certain items across the map to access the escape route like fuel or fuses. Often grabbing these parts requires you to clean candy floss from the area which prompts you to do real-time events by hitting buttons in sync, similar to the generators on Dead By Daylight. Make noise and the klowns will be alerted to your presence immediately.

Inventory Management Is Key

The issue with playing alone with randoms is that if you’re working on an escape route, there is every chance that someone could leave without you. All is not lost though, you’ll still gain experience for your efforts. Inventory management is also key as you only have so much that you can carry with you. A great touch by the developers is that you can see which human is holding a certain item. So if one is holding a fuse and you also have one, this would be enough to unlock the bunker and you can buddy up. I’d love to detail how to negotiate all escape routes in this review, but trying them all for yourself is much more fun.

Klowning Around

There are five playable classes when it comes to the Klowns with a different set of abilities for each one. Each has two weapons and three different skills, but every klown will have a raygun which will encase humans in a candy floss cocoon. My favourite was the fighter who kind of reminded me of Doink and Dink the clown from WWE wrestling. You are equipped with a pair of boxing gloves for pummeling humans but his ability allows you to transform into a pizza box similar to a prop hunt game mode and hunt down any vulnerable players on the opposing team. I won’t reveal every Klown skill as they are really enjoyable to uncover and play with first time.

Being a Klown brings great versatility in gameplay, you can either patrol the map trying to kill and capture humans or engage with other elements. This could be collecting candy floss from around the map which eventually spawns AI enemies which will then scout out the opposition for you. Players who are wrapped in candy floss and captured can eventually trigger a Klownpocolypse which covers the entire map in candy floss slaughtering anyone who doesn’t manage to escape. I adore that the developers have given several options for either side to play around with potentially making each outcome very different.

Visuals & Audio

Visually Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game is stunning and you can instantly see that a lot of hard work has gone into creating the environments and characters in line with the original movie. A lot of praise has to go to the people who designed the character models which are beautifully presented up close and in detail during the loading screens. The Klowns are mesmerising yet terrifying to look at and they have nailed not just the look but their movement and abilities also. What I also noticed was how buttery smooth the game performed on Xbox Series X, during my 20 or so hours with the game I did not encounter any bugs or hiccups. Those who played Friday the 13th will know there were a fair amount of issues with that title as great as the game was, but none of those exist in this experience.

Not A Bug In Sight & Sound Compliments The Atmosphere

It is a well-oiled and optimised title across the board and I especially loved how well-crafted the environments are. A cascade of neon lights across the amusement park with plenty of hiding spots and vantage points make for well-balanced gameplay. Some of the bright and vibrant colours reminded me of another magnificent game from Illfonic known as Arcadegeddon and it wouldn’t surprise me if some inspiration for some of the colour work came across from there. The lighting compliments the maps and makes certain areas pop. The entire game is just gorgeous on Xbox Series X!

Audio is equally as brilliant as the art style and sets the tone with the music wrapping around the atmosphere to create that intense feeling. Sound effects are also well done and you absorb that sense of panic as klowns close in on you. The chaos that unfolds as a few of you try and smash a klowns head in creates fear yet hilarity with a group of friends.

Final Thoughts

Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game is the game I never knew I wanted and needed. It takes all the great characteristics of similar titles and runs with them in its own unique way. It is way more fun to experience this with a group of friends but I found myself also having a great time when I played alone. The teams have done an amazing job of ensuring that both the humans and clowns have a fair balance in the gameplay loop, neither side ever felt more overpowered than the other. Bring with this an addictive levelling system that can feel a bit of a grind but extends the longevity of the game. With the greatest visuals I’ve seen in a game in this genre and you have an excellent asymmetrical horror title of cat and mouse that is just a great time!