Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game is multiplayer hijinks in a dark carnival

It's been a few years since a game based on B-movie cult classic Killer Klowns From Outer Space was announced. The game has been in development and undergone some developer changes since its initial GamesCom 2022 reveal, but now it looks like IllFonic and Teravision Games are ready to send in the Klowns. Shacknews recently had an opportunity to try out Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, experiencing the chase from both the human and Klown perspective.

For this asymmetrical romp, players are assigned to one of two different teams. They can be part of the three-person Klown team or the seven-person Human team. There was only one stage available during our brief hands-on and that was an abandoned carnival in the middle of the night. The stage certainly sets the whimsical atmosphere, while also helping set up the game's objectives. For the Klowns, the idea is to usher in the Klownpocalypse by setting all of the right pieces together or to kill all of the humans on the map. For the Human team, the goal is to escape the carnival before the Klownpocalypse begins.

Klowns are much larger than their human opponents and their comparative size makes them slower than their frantic prey. As a Klown, the first part of the game was spent searching for cotton candy cocoons. A total of 16 of these cocoons would then need to be attached to a nearby battery to help power up the Klownpocalypse. Key item locations are randomized, so part of the gameplay loop involves exploring the carnival in hopes of finding a cocoon. Of course, it's also possible to just make your own cocoon by finding a human and wrapping them in cotton candy through the Klown's handy ray gun. Humans who are wrapped up can then be attached to the battery, which serves the double purpose of working towards the Klownpocalypse and also incapacitating a member of the opposing team. The catch with using human batteries is that their teammates have a short window to free them, so they may not necessarily stay hooked.

Of course, it's also possible to kill humans the old-fashioned way. Klowns can also use mallets, which they can use to bop humans into a fine paste. Sometimes, players can dispose of humans with a flashy finisher, appropriately called a "Klowntality."

The longer a game goes, the more it favors the Klown team. Even if the cocoons aren't all hooked, the countdown to the Klownpocalypse is still ticking. Not only is the Human team racing against the clock, but the Klown team can recruit teams of NPC minions to assist with their human hunt as they hook in more cocoons. By the final minutes, Klowns will have also explored most of the carnival, which will allow them to use their Jump ability to fast travel quickly.

Do the humans have anything going for them? I found out when I stepped onto the Human team for the next game. The Human team can come together through a Meeting Point, which they can use to regroup and also arm themselves. Human weapons can vary from frying pans to baseballs and a savvy human player can throw Klown opponents for a loop by waiting in strategic hiding spots and pouncing when the time is right. Humans can win a one-on-one with a Klown by focusing on the Klown's weak point: their big nose.

The other benefit that the Human team has is multiple escape points. Among the possible escape routes are boats and portals, but they have to find items like spark plugs in order to power these exits. A stealthy human can sneak around the carnival, find the right ingredients, and make a clean getaway without ever being spotted. They'll need to be cautious, though, because Klowns can use sound pings to detect any nearby noisemakers. It should also be noted that the Human team has access to a Resurrection Machine, which is good for reviving dead teammates one time and one time only.

When the Klownpocalypse timer gets into its final seconds, players have to make last-ditch efforts to escape. If a teammate is caught up with a Klown, then a sacrifice might have to be made. Victory is determined by how many humans were caught up in the Klownpocalypse, if any. If only a few humans are obliterated, the Klowns will enjoy an imperfect Klown victory. If all humans escape, on the other hand, the Human team will savor a total Human victory.

My time with Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game was wildly entertaining, especially as games reached their final minutes and it became apparent that not everybody was going to survive. The moment-to-moment gameplay is a lot of fun, especially with the absurd weaponry and visuals at work. Whether the Klowns can enjoy the lasting appeal of their original source material remains to be seen. We'll wait to find out when Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game comes to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on Tuesday, June 4.

This preview is based on a Steam key provided by the publishers and played remotely via Discord.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?