This is definitely the year of the pixel art indie games and Extreme Exorcism is ready to toss its hat into the ring…just in time for the spooky Halloween gaming season. Honestly though, the only thing scary about Extreme Exorcism is just how addicting it is, especially when you have friends over. Expect this to become a major request at your next game night party.
Extreme Exorcism does away with priests, crosses and holy water and takes a more Van Helsing-like approach to dispelling the demonic hordes. You’ll be playing as Mae Barrons, a badass chick with an unholy arsenal at her disposal. You job is to nimbly dance around the increasingly complex screens and level designs dispatching all the ghosts the game throws at you with a growing arsenal of weapons – who knew you could kill a ghost with a rocket launcher? At the end of each level you will have to fight a boss ghost that will mimic every move you made in the previous level. I really enjoyed this element because if you can remember what you did you can easily intercept and defeat the ghost.
There is a massive amount of content with fresh new room designs spread across ten areas set in and around a giant haunted house. Extreme Exorcism is a survival game, so it’s not about if you will die but more, how long you can survive, and the longer you do the more hellish the game becomes. And that’s just the single player element. With support for up to four players locally, you can also engage in some epic deathmatch and co-op modes and tackle 50 unique challenges in some of the most intense multiplayer since Gauntlet.
Artistically, the game is colorful and charming with a great Halloween color scheme of greens, purples, and oranges. There are times where things actually transcend the pixel art boundaries, especially with the gorgeous painted backgrounds and cool lighting effects. The music also fits with the holiday theme of the game and there is a nice selection of fitting sound effects for the various weapons.
Extreme Exorcism is one of those games you could easily dismiss as “just another pixel-art indie game”, and to some degree it is, but if you give it about five minutes you will find this haunting urge to keep playing…just to see what’s next, and the first time you play this with (or against) friends you will be hopelessly hooked. There is so much content and so many modes and ways to play that Extreme Exorcism is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a spooky good time, alone or with friends and family.
