How To Win As Michael Myers - Halloween: The Game

Playing Killer for the first time in Halloween: The Game can be quiet scary. The maps are large, and quite literally filled with a wide array of Residents. Today we'll be going over some core gameplay tips and strategies to help you turn the streets of Haddonfield red as the infamous killer, Michael Myers.

Unlike other survival horror games, your goal as the killer isn't to go straight after the real-life player residents. The entire time you're playing, your goal is to score points as Michael, who will be competing with the residents to see how many you can kill, versus how many they can save before the night is over. Michael can alternatively win by killing all residents in the match, but it's not as easy as it may seem.

Take note of the top of your screen, where you'll see 3 distinct pieces of information you'll want to be aware of.

• The first one on the left are your key residents. These are the NPCs you should make your focus to kill before they can escape Haddonfield, as you get many points for doing so.
  
  
• Next in the middle, are your low priority residents. You'll get less for killing these people, but it's still important to look out for them. There's slightly more of these, allowing for easy kills at the start of a game.
  
  
• Finally, the right-most blips are your real life residents. Their goal throughout the entire game is going to be helping all of the previously mentioned residents escape, before saving themselves.
  
  

Each time you kill any of the above residents you'll gain an amount of points which contribute to your overall score at the end of the match. The catch here is that if any of the residents are able to escape before the night is over, they will get the points instead.

For your best chances at winning as killer, avoid going straight for the real life players at the start of the game, as they'll inevitably be the harder targets. Instead, focus on shutting down power boxes outside of houses and taking out lower, and higher priority residents. Houses in total darkness are your main hunting ground, of which we'll talk more about in a moment.

For pretty much any action performed against residents by Michael, you'll start building up your Bloodthirst meter. Despite it not seeming too powerful to begin with, this is by far Michael's strongest tool for turning games irreversibly in his favor from the jump.

Here's what the game does not tell you: From getting just 1 fully played out kill on any resident (including stalking them) you can hit tier 1 of Bloodthirst. Once you have it, activating your Shade Jump or Reality Tear will instantly give you a direct look at where ALL of the high priority residents in the map are, allowing you to quickly pick them off.

This trick essentially makes all Michael games go straight to his side when it comes to point scoring, and leaves the residents scrambling as they search for the remainders.

Not only does this perk give you what's essentially wall hacks, but it also aids your cooldowns, melee, and unlocks a new kill animation. The main goal of Bloodthirst appears to be encouraging Michael players to take their time in games, instead of just B-Lining through everyone, as evident by the rewards for building it.

To offset the numbers game in favor of the residents, Michael comes equipped with a selection of abilities. Two of his abilities are fixed character traits, and the others are his choice of up to 3 more powerful special abilities. Here is a breakdown of each trait/ability, and how to effectively use them during a game of Halloween.

Trait 1: Shape Jump

This is your main method of movement around the map at almost all times. Shape Jump is a fantastic tool for not only covering large distances quickly, but also taking to the shadows, making Michael entirely invisible. By pressing the spacebar you'll be able to leap forward an even greater distance, useful when trying to get to the other side of the map fast.

The best part of Shape Jump is that while active, Michael can also see the outlines of nearby residents, and can even shift through the doors and windows of houses so long as the lights are off, and no one is watching him. The same rule applies to exiting Shape Jump, which can be done by pressing the ability button again in a safe spot. If you cannot currently exit, you'll be illuminated in red, as opposed to concealed in a shadowy veil.

Some final things to know about this ability, is that to bypass the light and sight restriction, you can come out of it by hiding in closets, cars, and other hiding spots. From here, Michael can ambush residents in creative ways. Just be aware that Michael cannot enter, or exit Shape Jump while he is in the light, seen by residents, or too close to them.

Trait 2: Killer Sense

This can be a pretty confusing skill to understand due to its many uses, but think of Killer Sense as the skill you use to stalk your victims and get info about your surroundings. By entering sense you'll go into first person where you're able to get information around you based off of the sounds residents make when they run, or even just walk. Some residents can bait you out by turning on TV stations or Radios though, so just be careful.

Once you actually have a resident in your sights however, you can begin to stalk them. When looking at them directly while in sense you'll see a progress bar charging up on their body. There's 3 levels to this, and each level that builds weakens them further, building fear. At max fear, they'll find it hard to run without tripping and falling over, just like you'd expect in a true slasher movie.

Be sure to pay attention to the red icons on their body, too. By focusing on these areas in particular, Michael can build an increased amount of progress as compared to normal. Not only does stalking build fear, but it also directly marks the victim to Michael through walls for a period of time, and unlocks new environmental executions in certain spots when at a high enough level.

So, if you're closing in on a target you think might just get away a little too easy, consider stalking them first to make their odds of surviving dwindle.

Special Ability 1: Detection Pulse

Detection Pulse is a fantastic ability for finding almost exactly where residents are on the map, as when used it created essentially a giant heat zone of any houses currently occupied. This is a simple ability, but it does not mean it should be spammed. Using it early in the game when you can pretty safely assume all houses will have a resident in them is a really bad idea.

Instead, try to use it a little later on when numbers are thinning, or when you're trying to pursue a victim who managed to slip away from you and hide. Remember that there are other tools for finding residents like Shape Jump or Killer Sense, so use this one sparingly.

Special Ability 2: Blackout

The light is perhaps the biggest deterence for Michael, as it interferes with his Shape Jump ability massively. If you can't get to the power breaker on the house you're invading, or know that as soon as you do the residents will flee, Blackout is the ability you'll want to pop.

Once Blackout is fired off, it knocks out all power within a decent radius of Michael. If a resident is in a vehicle or on a bike when you do this nearby, it will temporarily deactivate it, majorly hindering their ability to get away quick enough. This ability is perfect for when you know a house is bolted shut, and you wish to quickly Shape Jump through the windows for a bloody massacre.

One important fact to take note of with this ability, is that it's a limited time effect, meaning power sources shut off by it, will come back on after a few seconds.

Special Ability 3: Reality Tear

This ability is great for advanced Michael players looking to catch out unsuspecting residents. Reality Tear basically bypasses the light condition for the Shape Jump, allowing you to either enter or exit the ability no matter your situation. This is handy if you find yourself being ganged up on by 5 people at once, or if you're chasing a player who thinks they're safe by just standing under a lamp post.

My personal favorite way to use the ability is to enter Shape Jump to chase down a resident, and then pop Reality Tear behind them, quickly pressing my grab button right after. Almost no one expects it, and it's a great way to rack up the kills in a match.

Special Ability 4: Shadow Strike

This ability is designed to slow down a target before going in for the kill, by launching a shadow knife at them. On impact, it will slow them down and cause temporary blindness, which if they're not expecting can be fatal.

It's perhaps my least favorite killer ability due to simply being outclassed by others, but can be useful when entering a home, especially if you already have your victim fully stalked. It can also be a great way of slowing down a resident who wants to lead you in circles around Haddonfield by endlessly running away from you.

Special Ability 5: Evil Presence

If you're constantly encountering residents that try to loop you, or trying to use the numbers game to overpower you, try this ability. When activated near a resident it temporarily staggers them, giving you a short window to close the distance for a grab or a slash. Not only this, but Michael becomes significantly stronger during this time, making him a little more resilient to punishment.

Like mentioned before, it can be especially helpful if Michael is being ganged up on, something which is becoming increasingly popular in matches. Using it when armed residents are trying to gun you down is an easy way to disperse a crowd, and pick off a target for what feels like free.

Special Ability 6: Shape Mines

Michael comes equipped with a number of mines that can be placed down in the map. They have a short radius, but activate when a resident comes into close proximity with them. Once tripped, the resident is temporarily marked and jumpscared.

It would seem that at the time of making this guide, you can only have 4 of these active at any given time. It's definitely not ability we'd recommend for capturing residents either. Instead, try using these mines as a way of gathering information, by setting them up next to escape routes, so you instantly know if a pesky resident is about to get away.

Now that you know the ins and outs of Haddonfield's boogeyman, lets go over 3 handy tips that will help you turn each house into a graveyard.

Tip 1: Weapon Pros/Cons

As you level up Michael it may seem like a no brainer to simply select the shiniest new toy, but this can actually be a mistake. Each weapon you choose in Halloween has a pro and a con tied to it, ensuring that every choice matters.

For example while the wood axe might deal more damage than the kitchen knife and be able to break down house doors insanely quick, it also features a slower weapon kill animation. And comparing the wood axe to something like the Pitchfork, you might notice that the Pitchfork has the ability to be thrown, as opposed to just the standard heavy swing like the axe.

Tip 2: Destroy Power Boxes

You won't need to play much killer before realizing that shutting down power to houses is an essential move to allow Shape Jumping inside. What you might not know however is that you can actually destroy the boxes entirely, almost permanently taking them out for the rest of the match. Almost is the key word here, because some smart residents can still repair the power boxes using repair kits, albeit at a slower pace than if they only needed to flip it back on like usual.

Another perk of destroying these boxes instead of flipping the switch, is that it entirely bypasses the switch animation. It will also disable the CB Radio needed to call in Loomis, much like it would if you shut it off normally. Just be aware that for some weapons the hitbox can be a little janky, resulting in this wasting some time, but generally it works just fine and is a great trick to know about.

Tip 3: Focus Cops When They Spawn In

This is probably the tip you saw coming least, but it's perhaps the most important one on this list. When you're taking out the innocent residents of Haddonfield, it's highly likely that they'll begin to fight back. The good news is that when it comes to melee combat, Michael typically has the edge. One big issue however is that naturally as the game progresses, players will look to call the police to come and help.

This can be bad for Michael, as these cops always spawn in with a firearm, which they'll use to keep him at bay from range, and even try to detain him, ending the game completely. To make matters worse, dead players also have a chance to reincarnate themselves as said cops, making the threat much worse.

To avoid this, pay attention when the message about cops arriving is broadcasted on your screen, and look for the red noise ping. Head towards the sirens and mow down any spawned police to avoid the numbers quickly stacking. The last thing you need as Michael is to be surrounded by gun toting cops, on a night that should be filled with slaughter.

Hopefully this guide helps you survive in style when terrifying the streets of Haddonfield! If you liked this guide and want more, be sure to check out the rest of our coverage of Halloween: The Game