By Mikayla Walton, Associate Editor
Photos from Google
If anyone is a big horror fan like I am, then perhaps you have heard of Dead by Daylight. Dead by Daylight is an online asymmetrical survival horror game, meaning there are 4 “survivors” going up against one “killer.” Yes, it is very dark, but the game itself is an interesting concept. Typically, as a player you get to choose whether or not you play as a survivor or a killer, but that isn’t even the best part. The best part is that the game itself has taken horror icons from every corner of the horror verse” and shoved them into one game! Well, maybe not every corner—there are no Stephen King characters making an appearance (yet).
Despite the lack of killer child-eating clowns such as Pennywise, you are liable to face many different killers such as Leatherface, Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, Amanda (the pig) from SAW, and yes, even the Demogorgon from Stranger Things. Aside from the killers, you also have survivors from the franchises! You have everyone’s favorite insomniac, Quentin Smith, alongside Laurie Strode, Detective Tapp, and no other than Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler. I almost forgot–Ash from Ash vs The Evil Dead is also an option in this game.
Despite those lovable characters, the game offers a wide variety of original characters as well, all with a unique backstory on their lives and how they got to the entity’s realm. Now, to explain the lore behind the game’s universe would take a whole new article. However, the original characters, though not in any real horror movies or franchises, are some of the most well-rounded characters I have ever come across in a video game.
Every character is unique, and they all have three perks unique to them that can be used in the game, as well as one slot for the choice of a random perk. The perks often range in variety, from helping the player complete objectives faster to running from the killer and evading quicker. Now, you may be asking what the objectives are. It’s fairly straightforward. There are four to five generators on any given map, and it is up to the four survivors to get these generators up and running to open the doors of the electronic gate surrounding the map to escape.
Rest assured it is not that simple, because you also have to evade a killer while trying to finish these generators and while hitting skill checks. As seen above, Nancy is about to have a skill check, and if the player fails the skill check then the generator pops and the killer is alerted to your location, and if you run they will see glowing red scratch marks on the ground leading you in the general direction that you ran.
Have no fear (unless you are facing ‘The Pig’ or Michael Myers) because you will know when the killer is near you, either by the sound of your character’s quickening heartbeat, children humming (for Freddy), or even the tune of a haunting lullaby (The Huntress). The Pig and Michael Myers have no sound associated with them, meaning they have no ‘terror radius’ and can ambush you if you are not careful. If you are caught and downed by the killer, that is not the end because they have to scoop you up and carry you to a meat hook and hang you there. That is disturbing, but again, it is part of the lore. The killers are there to sacrifice you to something known as “the entity.” Once on the hook, a tip: do not try to struggle to get off of it. You will only die faster. It gives the other survivors more time to come and save you.
Those are the objectives. Once off the hook you can either heal yourself (if you’ve got a medkit, or have the perk self-care), let others heal you, or continue bleeding and be at risk for a one hit down while in the injured state. A one hit down is when a character gets powerful enough in one match to take you down with one hit.
One con of this game is that due to some internet issues (such as someone’s internet being slow) are the hit boxes. What I mean by that is that in a round I played the other day, I was nowhere near close enough to The Pig that was chasing my Steve Harrington, but due to their lagging internet, she managed to down me when I was nowhere visibly near her. It is not something that often happens, but it is an issue many come across in the game, whereas another is unsportsmanlike conduct, or holding the game hostage. This means that the killer may be camping a hook while a survivor is on it simply so they can not be saved and make the rest of the round easier for them, or guarding generators so you get all but one done, or camping “the hatch” which is the final escape route the last survivor can take if the other survivors have died, or escaped, camping it for killers means they can (and will) close it and take control of the game.
Of course, there are ways to stop these behaviors from happening, such as reporting them in the menu that pops up after a round that gives you your information for the round and lets you know what perks the killer and other players had on. This can be done for other survivors as well, because sadly, some survivors will do things to help the killer such as body blocking. You can also troll the killer right back by repeatedly stunning them by “pallet looping.” This is where you continuously run to the next pallet and stun them with it, or blind them with a flashlight. Often, you are able to tell if the person playing the killer will be toxic or not by who they play. That sounds awful, but in personal (and even in my friends’ experiences) those playing “The Doctor” or Michael Myers are often more liable to camp survivors on the hook. Despite some toxic players and the occasional bogus hit boxes, the game is overall fun. It’s great if you are a horror fan or like any challenge at all. With a wide range of characters to choose from, and iconic horror maps to play on, it is a great game. Where else can you be Scoops Ahoy Steve Harrington and run for your life from Michael Myers? If you are down for a spooky, fun, challenging time, go check out Dead by Daylight. I’m sure you won’t regret it. You’ll be hooked!
