At first glance, RetroRealms Halloween & Ash vs. Evil Dead might seem like just another typical licensed platformer, complete with nostalgic graphics, over-the-top violence, and two beloved, recognizable characters. But after playing, it became obvious to me that this was something more special, thanks to a world full of nostalgia and Easter eggs from the Halloween and Evil Dead franchises, and gameplay that is so fun and intuitive I had a hard time putting it down.
In fact, I frequently found myself booting it up on my Steam Deck just so I could play it a little more. While Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead are two separate games, they share the same overworld arcade, feature similar playstyles, and allow you to play as both characters in each other's titles.
They’re still distinct experiences, and I found myself having a hard time deciding which one I preferred playing over the other. That's not to say both were perfect experiences since both fell into the usual action-platformer trappings of occasionally having too many enemies on screen at once during particularly tricky platforming sections and offering additional weapons and skills that didn't seem to help much when compared to the default kitchen knife and chainsaw arm, respectively. Getting deeper into the gameplay, the dark realm mechanic is one of the better aspects here.
By activating it, you can see the world as a demonic representation of itself, which not only features its own unique enemies but also helps unloc.
