Friday the 13th (USA)

In the NES game Friday the 13th, players take on the role of one of six counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. The main objective is to survive and defeat the killer Jason Voorhees three times to end the nightmare. The game's setting is a large map consisting of areas like forests, caves, a lake, and cabins, presented from a top-down perspective when moving outdoors and switching to a side-scrolling view when entering cabins or caves.

Players need to manage their health bar and lives. Time in the game is divided into day and night cycles, with Jason becoming more dangerous at night. Enemies are not only Jason but also other creatures like zombies, crows, and wolves, which will attack the player while moving on the map. To combat them, players can collect various weapons such as stones, knives, axes, pitchforks, and flares, each with different damage and range.

An important element is the ability to switch between the six counselor characters. Each character may have different stats or simply serve as a backup "life" when the current character is defeated. When Jason appears, a warning will pop up, and players must quickly find and confront him or try to evade. Battles with Jason usually take place in side-scrolling areas, where players must dodge his attacks and strike him with collected weapons.

Besides fighting, players also need to complete side quests such as saving other campers or searching for important items like the map, keys, or Jason's mother's sweater, which can aid in defeating him. Jason will appear in three different forms; each time the player defeats him, he returns stronger and in a different form (initially normal, then purple, and finally a fiery form). The game is known for its high difficulty and constant tension.