Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14

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  1. theflamey
    Apr 9, 2018
    7
    Mass murder has never been more adorable…

    Recently I’ve been playing Slayaway Camp on the Switch, it’s a puzzle game where the basic idea is to move your character around a map to murder the various characters positioned within the map and once all characters have been suitably dispatched you can exit the level. I hadn’t heard of it prior to getting it and I have to say it was kind of    Mass murder has never been more adorable…

    Recently I’ve been playing Slayaway Camp on the Switch, it’s a puzzle game where the basic idea is to move your character around a map to murder the various characters positioned within the map and once all characters have been suitably dispatched you can exit the level. I hadn’t heard of it prior to getting it and I have to say it was kind of nice going into a game with no preconceived notions of what it was going to be like.

    It’s a simple enough concept, and I will admit that after the first level I thought that was literally all there was to it but I’m as happily mistaken. Wile the core concept is there the game adds obstacles to proceedings to make sure that the game keeps being challenging. These vary on levels from police officers, to hazards such as fire, limits to the number of moves you can make and characters you can’t kill.

    Aesthetically the game uses blocky kind of cute characters and the violence is over the top to the point of it being cartoonish which is definitely a good thing as some of the kill animations are very funny. It also acts as something of a tribute to laser films as each level is classified as a movie and each movie has a playable character seemingly inspired by movie killers with the first couple of levels being influenced by Friday the 13th and Jason Voorhees.

    As I’ve progressed through the game some levels have been pretty tricky, there is a hint function that will give you a clue to help you or failing that there’s an option to see a sped up walkthrough of the level so there’s always an option if you get stuck which is a nice touch. These hints cost coins which can be earned during the course of the main game or there’s a game mode available from the main menu where you can earn coins. These coins can also be used to unlock new kills so there’s multiple reasons to be earning the coins.

    There’s a lot to like about the game but I think the two things I like most about it are that as discussed there are options available should you get stuck on a level, so it never gets to a point where it get frustrating which can be pretty common in a puzzle game. The other is that there’s a genuine sense of achievement when you spend a little while on a level trying to suss it out and you manage to do it, either by luck or by noticing something you’d previously been missing.

    It’s priced around the £14 mark on the Xbox, Playstation and Switch stores which I think is pretty reasonable for an indie game like this. Realistically though I paid full retail price for Aliens: Colonial Marines so literally everything is reasonably priced by comparison. All in all it’s definitely a game I’d recommend and it’s a game I’m pleased I tried, there’s definitely something to be said for trying games that you’d maybe not normally consider.    … Expand
  2. AugmentDJ
    Jun 29, 2020
    8
    Such a great port in a long line of great ports to the Switch! Tough to get into at first but quickly became addicting. I had to unlock all the killers and their finishing moves and play all the deleted scenes/nc-17 scenes as well. Such a weird mix with the gore in a puzzler but it works!

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Nintendojo
    Jul 2, 2018
    75
    The visual references, music, and dialogue not only highlight the developer’s taste in movies, but they also give the game an extra layer of humor and charm. The silly, over-the-top violence is also a part of this, and while this might turn some off to the game, I think most gamers will get a kick out of the discrepancy between the cutesy visuals and the ridiculous brutality.
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  2. Switch Player
    Apr 20, 2018
    70
    Slayaway Camp is a darkly charming isometric puzzler that uses the B-Movie slasher conceit to its complete advantage. Addicting, challenging, and perfect for bitsize Switch sessions, anyone who doesn't give Slayaway Camp a butchers will surely be missing out.
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  3. Nintendo Insider
    Apr 16, 2018
    90
    Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut is ridiculous fun, but more so if you’re a fan of the old school horror films it imitates. Nothing here is taken seriously, except for the puzzles themselves which are often fiendishly difficult, but always fair. As a package, it manages to evoke an odd nostalgia on top of genuine laughs, a wealth of unlockables and head-scratching puzzles. There’s a killer soundtrack to boot, which fits nicely into the background of each movie, punctuated by outlandish cartoon sound effects. This is bite-size puzzle gaming at its finest.
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