What Savage Halloween is
Savage Halloween is a 2D pixel-art platformer with bullet-hell shooting. Monsters from the afterlife got stuck on Earth after a Halloween party, and an evil vampire cast a spell to block the way back so the party would never end. James, a farmer whose eternal rest was interrupted, grabs his shotgun and joins the resistance to send everyone home. You shoot through 7 scenarios with varied gameplay and mechanics, including flying on a witch's broom and hitchhiking on a penguin's back, and you face varied and bizarre boss fights along the way.
Playing it together
The game supports local multiplayer, so people on the same screen can play side by side. Remote Play Together is also listed as a Steam feature, which lets friends join over a connection rather than sharing a couch. Pick your monster and go: the shooting works in 8 directions, which matters when enemies come at you from odd angles during the denser fights.
Characters and combat
There are 3 playable characters, each with individual characteristics. James is the grumpy farmer, still in a bad mood in the afterlife and now armed with a shotgun. Lulu is a werewolf who is not sure whether he is a man who dreamed he was a dog or a dog who dreamed he was a man. Dominika is the daughter of the partying Dark Lord, a geek from the depths who urgently wants to get home to watch her favorite series. Shots are varied and bizarre, and the boss fights change pace between stages.
Before you start
Expect classic platformer mechanics paired with heavy bullet patterns, since the game is tagged as a bullet hell and an arcade-style shooter. The retro pixel look and the soundtrack are a big part of the presentation, so playing with sound on suits it. Controller support is listed, which fits the arcade feel. The tag list marks it as singleplayer as well as local co-op, so it works either way depending on whether your group is in the same room.