The most notorious cult film of all time finally has its mystique in the hands of gamers around the world. The Rocky Horror Picture Show video game has been in demand by fans for decades and is now a reality as United Kingdom-based studio Freak Zone Games has followed through. While The Rocky Horror Video Game (its official title) is a far cry from the first-person shooters and open-world fantasy epics that have dominated video game sales over the last two decades, its gameplay and format look pretty promising.
The Rocky Horror Show Video Game has some of the same tongue-in-cheek humor evident in the original source material and doesn’t shy away from taking jabs at itself.
The Rocky Horror Show Video Game delivers the story of Brad and Janet, the horror musical’s two protagonists, as they navigate the road to Dr. Frank N. Furter’s castle and explore the treachery within. The gameplay is a classic form of two-dimensional side-scrolling, seeing the characters go from the left side of the screen to the right in the style of countless games from the 1980s and 90s. As the player moves the game’s characters across the screen, multiple pitfalls and creatures await to take lives away.
The Rocky Horror Show Video Game has some of the same tongue-in-cheek humor evident in the original source material and doesn’t shy away from taking jabs at itself. At one point during the gameplay, Brad is warned by the castle’s caretaker, Riff Raff, that he should “watch out for the traps and mediocre level design.” As an added touch, whenever Brad’s character takes any hits during the boss fight against Frank N. Furter, each contact makes him lose articles of clothing until his wardrobe is reduced to his tighty-whitey underwear.
The hits “Dammit Janet” and “The Time Warp” are among the many familiar tunes that might make the Rocky Horror game one of the first that you’ll sing along to.
The brains behind the Rocky Horror Show Video Game have certainly been influenced by some of the more popular side-scrolling offerings from years past. The gameplay is reminiscent of early Castlevania, Mega Man, and Ninja Gaiden entries, with the need for a steady pace and impeccable timing evident as the scenes progress.
Any fan of the cult film and stage production will be delighted at the musical numbers from the original movie that are included in an 8-bit soundtrack. The hits “Dammit Janet” and “The Time Warp” are among the many familiar tunes that might make the Rocky Horror Show Video Game one of the first that you’ll sing along to.
The brains behind the Rocky Horror Show Video Game have certainly been influenced by some of the more popular side-scrolling offerings from years past.
Rocky Horror Show Video Game is available across multiple gaming platforms and for a very reasonable price. Curious fans will find it available for $10 on the Nintendo Store for its Switch console and can obtain it for only $9 via a special promotion on PCs with Steam. Before Halloween season is officially over, the game will be available on both PlayStation and Xbox.
The style and gameplay aren’t of the caliber that is going to win the developer any awards for complexity or originality, but Rocky Horror Show Video Game looks to be a fun way for fans of the film to reconnect with the cult favorite in a new format. It’s definitely a retro-game, both in its aesthetic and 8-bit soundtrack, and could well be what makes this Halloween season a fan’s dream come true.
