The recently released Evil Dead: The Game came as something of a shock. While we were hopeful for a fun multiplayer experience, we weren’t expecting anything that good. You can read more about it in our Evil Dead: The Game review. However, we’re not going to talk about the new game in this article. We’re going to look back and see exactly how many Evil Dead games there are.
The Evil Dead debuted in 1981. A cult classic motion-picture release, the series has spawned a number of sequels, soft-reboot, TV series and countless other media. However, it’s the videogames we’re interested in. You might be surprised by just how many Evil Dead games there are.
The Evil Dead (1984)
The first game based on the franchise is often forgotten. And frankly, that’s probably for the better. In 1984 Palace Software developed a game based on the original 1981 film for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The game is set in the cabin from the film, and the player controls Ash as he attempts to close the cabin windows, preventing monsters from entering. The game was incredibly simple, even by 1984 standards, and was often compared to Atic Atac.
Evil Dead: Hail to the King (2000)
This is the one many fans remember as their first Evil Dead game experience. Debuting on PlayStation and Dreamcast, Evil Dead: Hail to the King also came to PC in 2001. Acting as a sequel to the third Evil Dead film, Army of Darkness, Evil Dead: Hail to the King was designed as a survival horror experience. Much like early Resident Evil games, the game featured pre-rendered backgrounds and semi-fixed camera angles, as well as limited ammunition and fuel for the chainsaw. The game is still very popular amongst fans today.
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick (2003)
Moving onto new consoles, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick launched on PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game follows the events of Evil Dead: Hail to the King, but is a very different kind of game. A fairly generic action game which somewhat missed the mark, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick is really only worth picking up for fans of the series’ story. While launching at full price in Europe, the game hit the North American market at just $20 USD. Good luck finding it for that price now, though.
Evil Dead Pinball (2003)
2003 was a bumper year for Evil Dead games. ‘Bumper’, geddit? Evil Dead Pinball was the second release in the franchise that year and was made available only for mobile devices. Your goal was to score the most points. You have three balls in the game. You launch a ball and try to keep it in play using flippers. If you don’t hit a ball, it goes off the board and you have to launch the next ball. So, pinball, then.
Evil Dead: Regeneration (2005)
Arguably the best Evil Dead game (aside from the newly released Evil Dead: The Game). Evil Dead: Regeneration follows the gameplay formula laid out in Evil Dead: Fistful of Boomstick. However, it improves upon it exponentially. Mixing up the combat with greater enemy variety and throwing in logic puzzles for good measure, Evil Dead: Regeneration is a high quality game. It does however, stray somewhat from the beaten path. Instead of continuing the story, the game takes place in an alternate reality where Ash did not get sent back in time at the end of Evil Dead II, and thus the events of Army of Darkness never occurred.
Army of Darkness: Defense (2011)
And now we stray from the Evil Dead title, instead specifically relating to the third movie. Army of Darkness: Defense was a tower defense game developed by Backflip Studios for iOS and Android. Players have direct control of Ash as he defends the Necronomicon, while a shotgun automatically shoots if there are enemies in sight. The game is over if players get killed or if the enemies reach the book. Sadly, the game is no longer supported and has been removed from the App Store and Google Play.
Evil Dead: The Game (2011)
No, not this Evil Dead: The Game. An iOS exclusive retelling of the original The Evil Dead movie. Released in 2011, the game featured a cartoonish depiction of Ash as he goes to battle with his now undead girlfriend. It was generally considered pretty hit-and-miss. I mean, you didn’t expect an iPhone game to live up to the same standard as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, did you?
Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare (2016)
Continuing with mobile releases, Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare launched on iOS and Android in 2016. A first-person experience, Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare is an endless runner loosely based on the plot of the 2013 movie reboot. Equipped with iconic weapons such as the chainsaw or boomstick, players had to escape the cabin and defend themselves against Deadites, falling trees and swinging vines within the forest. The fan reaction to the game was mixed.
Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare (2018)
Now we come to an interesting one! Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare was released on Oculus Go in 2018. It’s a VR endless runner that’s loosely based on the plot of the 2013 movie reboot. Equipped with iconic weapons such as the chainsaw or… wait. So, it’s Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare in VR? Back in 2018 a lot of studios working with early VR hardware would do similar ports. Disappointing, to say the least.
Evil Dead: The Game (2022)
And now we arrive at today! The latest videogame in the franchise is certainly a lot different to previous outings. You can read more about it in our Evil Dead: The Game review.
It’s worth noting that Ash (and friends!) has appeared as a guest character in numerous other gaming franchises. Deploy and Destroy on iOS and Android, Poker Night 2 from Telltale Games, and more recently Dead by Daylight. There were also numerous rumours that Ash would be a playable character in Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. Alas, this did not come to fruition.
So, that’s the answer to how many Evil Dead games there are! Which is your favourite? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
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