Spooky combos incoming
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fans of everything spooky now that it’s Halloween once again.
Fighting games probably aren’t what most people think of when it comes to the horror-filled holiday, but there’s a surprising amount of the genre that perfectly tailors to Halloween by including slasher icons, tons of over-the-top violence and / or the fun of dressing up in costumes.
As such, we’ve put together six fighters that can help set the mood for any Halloween fisticuffs although that doesn’t mean they’re all haunting experiences.
There’s of course the obvious ones featuring monsters and serial killers from the realm of film while others just offer some thematic fun whether you’re with a group or hiding under the blanket alone.
These titles range from fairly recent in terms of release to over 25 years old, so there should be something for every horror and fighting fan to sink their teeth into.
Let’s begin with the clear pick for those on the Capcom fighting game side of things.
Available on: PlayStation 1, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable
It’s impossible to talk about fighting games and Halloween without bringing up the series that first really melded the two together.
Darkstalkers is comprised of a roster of classic horror icons redesigned and given new life with some early ’90s Capcom flair, and the third game is a perfect way to introduce people who love monsters but may not be super into fighters.
The cast still kicks ass to this day with the succubus Morrigan, catgirl Felicia, demon Jedah, and rockin’ zombie Lord Raptor remaining as standouts.
If you don’t already own a copy of the now-expensive original releases, the easiest way to officially play Darkstalkers 3 would be to dust off the PS3 or Xbox 360 and dig up Darkstalkers Resurrection.
Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Out of all of the gore fests found within the realm of Mortal Kombat, the tenth mainline entry in the series has the most to offer for fans of horror.
This is the quite obvious pick considering Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, Alien’s Xenomorph and Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface are all included in the roster so long as you own the DLC Kombat Packs.
Each killer turned fighter is full of nods and references to their source material between movesets, outfits and Fatalities for more casual players to enjoy.
Plus, there’s just a fun and violent game underneath all that too.
Available on: PC
For those who want the maximum horror experience possible, Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeymen is probably your best bet because who wants to deal with licensing rights restricting which characters you can play?
As a fan-made fighting game, Terrordrome brings together everyone’s favorite slashers into one roster with the likes of Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Ghostface, Chucky, Freddy Krueger, Candyman, Pinhead and more all duking it out to see who kills best.
It’s not the most competitively viable game on this list certainly, but the animation and jank offer a fun charm that’ll have people cheering and getting hype whenever a big finisher gets pulled off.
There is a newer Terrordrome game called Reign of the Legends though the developers decided to go more official with it, so you’re limited to public domain monsters like Dracula or mythological beasts like the Wendigo.
Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
If you’re looking for a more general flavor of horror but want something more modern than Darkstalkers, Omen of Sorrow might be up your alley.
Putting their own spin on classics like Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Quasimodo and others, the game offers a dark and gothic atmosphere as well as some stylish combos.
Just don’t expect it to go scaring the pants off of anyone.
Available on: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
For more experienced fighting game players, we’d suggest going back to 1995 to take a look at the underappreciated Weaponlord for a gory good time.
While the visual style is more like a metal album cover come to life than traditional horror, the character designs and seeing them get chopped to bits with Death Combos certainly fits the Halloween vibes.
Weaponlord may have been largely overlooked upon its initial release, but the game was clearly innovative in terms of gameplay structure like new defensive mechanics and sizable movelists for the time — so fans of the genre can find lots to love here.
Just be prepared to find a good bit of jank to go along with it too.
Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
While the Soul Calibur series does have some creepier character designs like Astaroth and Nightmare, it’s on this list for a much different reason than the rest of the games above.
Instead of offering up killers, monsters or graphic violence, the 3D fighting franchise has unparalleled character and costume customization for the genre.
Back in the days of the third and fourth games, my friends and I would simply just spend hours putting together characters from our other favorite game and anime at the time and make them do battle.
If you’d like to have some more chill and laid back fun this Halloween, Soul Calibur 6 (or most of the other entries) can bring in something different whether it be a challenge of who can make the best / wackiest costume or downloading and doing battle with the thousands of creations found online.
Are there any other Halloween fighting game staples in your house? Let us know in the comments.
Everyone at EventHubs wishes you all a fun, safe and spooky Halloween.
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