A Scary but Fun Experience: Hands-On with Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game

While at PAX East 2024, we got our hands on the upcoming survival horror game Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game. I walked away from the game feeling a bit sad, and that was just because I wanted to spend more time playing it.

During my time with the game, I could only play as survivors, not klowns. Even though I may have missed out on an entire aspect of the game, it didn’t bother me because trying to escape alive is half the fun. In addition, Killer Klowns does something a bit different than other games in the genre with survivors. Whenever the killer spots players, they’re forced to run and hide, but in this game, you can actually stand your ground and fight for a bit.

Surviving the Klown Invasion: Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy

The game itself starts as fans of the genre would expect. Survivors are thrown into random locations throughout the map and must gather supplies and key items to escape. In an interview with Noisy Pixel, Jared Gerritzen, chief creative officer, and Jordan Mathewson, design director, shared some insight on keeping things new and refreshing for seasoned and new players alike. 

Designing a Dynamic Survival Horror Adventure

“You want to set up a scenario that allows us as the developers to keep the players on their toes constantly. And we’re not just talking about when they first learned the game, but after they have learned the game and understood it, it’s now down to that replayability that needs to exist. Mathewson continued. “Not only do we randomize our escapes – there are boats, there’s also a portal that you can open up, a gated exit like a bridge or a mineshaft you can exit through, and a bunker that you can unlock and hide inside.” 

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game captures the essence of survival horror with a twist, allowing players to fight back in ways unlike any other game in the genre.

As expected, these different escape routes require players to do various tasks. For example, I could escape via Boat, and I needed to find fuel and a spark plug to leave. In most cases, once one exit is open, all survivors can run through and leave, but that’s not the case for Killer Klowns. Only a specific amount of people can escape through one exit. This was intended to put players in highly stressful situations to see who would make it out and who would leave. This was all to ensure that it would fit into the theme of having players “scavenging throughout the map,” Mathewson said.

Escaping the Horror: Unique Challenges and Quirky Twists

Although the game is meant to stress players out, it is also very quirky. For instance, if you shoot a clown with a gun, they’ll fall to the floor, and a bunch of confetti will come flying out of them. If the Klowns want to make escaping a bit harder, they can put cotton candy all over specific items, forcing the survivors to remove them to activate them. But as silly as it is, something the team couldn’t put in was Klownzilla.

“That’s something we couldn’t get in. But the great part is as the game. You might see Klownszilla in our executions. You might see him in other areas that aren’t playable spaces. If we were to bring Klowzilla into this, it’s like sh*t. Now, we need to have destructible buildings, and we need to do all these things.” Gerritzen said.

Collaboration with the Chiodo brothers ensures Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game remains faithful to the original film, while promising an exciting future for the franchise.

Fans of the film may be happy to hear that the Killer Klowns game doesn’t take place in an alternate universe. What makes the original movie so special has been implemented into the game. Gerritzen explained that they worked very closely with the Chiodo brothers (the creative team behind the original film), and “it’s definitely in the Klown universe that the Chiodo brothers made,” Gerritzen explained. “The Chiodo brothers have said numerous times, ‘This is the kickoff for whatever the second wave would be.”

With its blend of horror and humor, Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game stands out as a must-play title for fans of the film and survival horror enthusiasts alike.

Anticipating the Release: What to Expect from Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game

In a way, the upcoming Killer Klowns game is meant to be the spiritual successor to the 1988 movie. “They’re [Chiodo brothers] treating this as kind of like a thing that’s going to allow them to take all of their ideas they have for the past 30 years,” Gerritzen said.

As our interview continued, Gerritzen explained that they plan to release more DLC for the game, allowing players to see what the Chiodo brothers have been making all these years.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is scheduled to come out later this year on May 28. It’ll be playable on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.