With the release date for Friday the 13th The Game fast approaching, it’s time to pick favorites. Ever since its 2015 Kickstarter campaign, the teams at Gun Media and Illfonic have been teasing the best of horror’s classic victim stereotypes for players to take on. Are you the “Preppy Guy” or more of a “Bookish Girl”? Let’s find out.
Thanks to Gun Media Founder, Wes Keltner’s post on the Friday the 13th The Game forums, we have the (near final) stats for our potential counselors. Wes noted that some stats may still be tweaked up to launch. Even so, this gives us a good starting point for parsing out our best chances of escape.
In addition to individual perks (which aren’t detailed) each counselor has points distributed into seven different traits.
- Intelligence -Increase repair effectiveness
- Composure- Reduces the rate that fear increases and makes it easier to break free from Jason’s grasp
- Stealth- Reduces the amount of noise generated and Jason’s ability to sense
- Luck- Increases weapon durability and gives minor increases to many other stats
- Stamina- Increases overall stamina pool and reduces the stamina cost of actions
- Strength – Increases attack damage with weapons and reduces the stamina cost of combat actions
- Speed – Increases overall top speed
According to Wes, stamina has been tweaked, both its total pool and ability to regen. These two characteristics allow for a “good differentiation between the counselors, without making one character super OP.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at our starting lineup.
The Edgy Guy – Adam Palomino
Adam is designed to be the tough grease monkey with a heart of gold. While he has decent strength and composure stats, fans have been disappointed by his lower intelligence. They argue that the self-proclaimed car guy should be able to repair vehicles fast, but his low intelligence makes him a weaker choice than some of the other counselors.
The Jock – Brandon ‘Buggzy’ Wilson
For players looking to put up a good fight, ‘Buggzy’ has got some serious potential. He’s the strongest of the counselors with high speed and stamina to sustain him. That’s good because his lower stealth and luck skills mean he may end up fighting his way out of most situations. If you’re tired of running for your life and are ready to stand up to Jason once and for all (you fool) then ‘Buggzy’ is probably your best bet.
The Preppy Guy – Chad Kensington
Chad holds a special place in the heart of most beta players. Right from the moment he first lays eyes on Jason and his jaw dislocated to hit the floor, players were in love. Sadly, while Chad’s speed and luck stats give him a chance at survival his lack of composure, and abject puchableness keeps him from feeling like a serious contender. You’d be hard pressed to find teammates who weren’t itching for a chance to sacrifice Chad for a shot at escaping.
The Bookish Girl – Deborah Kim
With a the highest possible intelligence ranking, Deborah is a great fit for players who want to get things done and get the heck outta there. Although she’s fairly useless in a confrontation, her higher than average stealth skill could keep her off Jason’s radar long enough to complete phone and radio repairs. If you want to play smart and stealthy (or are just skittish about facing off against murderers) then Deborah might be your gal.
The Girl Next Door – Jenny Myers
Having the highest level of composure among her peers combined with a decent amount of stealth, Jenny seems to be a solid character for newbie players. Her lower intelligence and speed prevent her from going it alone, but she’ll round out a team of competent players nicely.
The Rocker Chick – A.J. Mason
With an unsurpassed level of stealth and damn high composure, A.J. is the camp’s reigning hide and seek champion. Able to keep her cool even while her friends are dying all around her, she’s also smart enough to handle repairs. A.J. is a good choice for players who want to be able to save themselves when things go sideways.
The Athletic Girl – Vanessa Jones
This little speed demon nearly broke the beta experience with her ability to outrun Jason at every turn. Safe to say, she’s the reason the stamina stat had to be tweaked. During the beta Vanessa was literally running circles around Jason.
While she’s a clear favorite among players with mad juke and kiting skills, her other abilities make her a death trap for the rest of us. Her composure and stealth skills all but guarantee that she’ll be popping on Jason’s radar at some point. If you’re willing to play the distraction while your team secures a means of escape, then Vanessa is perfect for you.
Head Counselor – Kenny Riedell
If all these stats and variables make your head spin you might be better suited to playing as Kenny. Perfectly average across the board, Kenny has no stand-out abilities, but he’s not weaker in any areas either. He’s a great option for anyone who’s still working out their playstyle and strategy.
The Flirty Girl – Tiffany Cox
Although she matches A.J. in stealth, Tiffany lacks the composure to rely on hiding. Instead she utilizes higher stamina and a decent run speed to get her around the map. This makes her ideal for explorers who excel at collecting necessary car batteries and gas cans. She’ll need a smart friend to do the actual repairs, but she’ll be able to hang in there as long as she keeps out of Jason’s way.
The Class Clown – Eric ‘J.R.’ Lachappa
Seeing the glasses and high intelligence would make it easy to write Eric off as merely ‘boy’ Deborah, but that’s not entirely true. He also has less speed and composure. Wait, I guess he does have slightly more luck and strength, kinda. I suppose if you wanted more of a challenge then Eric may fit the bill, but I’ll probably stick with Deborah.
Friday the 13th The Game comes out on May 26th, 2017. You can check out the F13 forums to conspire with your fellow survivors. Alternatively, check out our Jason-centric article if you’re looking to fulfill your killer instinct.
