Fog Dwellers

jason was just recently released in version 10 of the game and it's... not as interesting as i originally thought that it was. in fact, i don't really like him.

for what it's worth in modern killer design, jason is about as good as you're gonna get. he has a combination of mobility, macro potential, chase pressure, and counterplay that makes sense against his kit. yet, he still feels quite stale in the grand scheme of things.

i think part of this has to do with content fatigue and similarities. despite him being "original" they once again have taken other killer powers and put it into a multi-power killer collage (wraith, spirit, xenomorph, springtrap, etc.), then slapped on a different theme and look. on top of that, the omnipresent evil effect isn't really engaging. he basically behaves like wraith with the requirement of being near a resource in order to uncloak. i'd even argue that it's slightly aggravating that it's the case because of how quickly he can zone players away from resources and get a hit with the speed boost from coming out of it, especially on generators with how there's always a guaranteed spawn right on top of the objective.

survivors cannot properly punish this without either pre-running if they notice it from a distance due to a killer mistake, or if the killer has poor luck on spawns. if they're on a gen or moving, they are forced to stop and crouch until he comes out of it with no clear indicator of where he can even be until he gets out of the effect. the only leg up he has over springtrap and xenomorph in this aspect is the global indicator that he's using his power like onryo, oni, and demogorgon. this at least helps survivors anticipate him a little better.

this still doesn't change how boring it is though because of how he can step outside of the realm of regular chases. wraith has the ability to uncloak regardless and obtain hits easily, but because of his M1-only characteristics he's still equally as punishable while keeping the interactivity directly in chase since he has to use his body to control the survivor. survivors can also make sense of what he's doing and mirror his movements. he's much more predictable and feels grounded in the sense that both sides have to put in work with what resources they have.

jason does not, as he can seemingly catch up, zone, track, and deny a resource while also having a speed boost and a projectile to threaten you with, all with less effort while also having to sacrifice quite a bit (or only a little if you're playing dirty) to have this power. it just doesn't feel right when you're used to the older design philosophies of killers and the traditional style of the game.

other people might find him fun and interesting, but i personally do not because of the sheer fact that he's basically multiple killers with a lot of inconsistency in how he's supposed to feel when playing as or against him. for what was supposed to be a 10th anniversary special, most of the hype that came from his drop was from his name being mentioned and the iconic mask. everything else about him feels like nothing more than what we already have and suffers from the same pain points that has existed since version 7+.

some may argue that it's because people don't know how to go against him or use him effectively yet, but i think this is more of a design philosophy problem than it is skill. i just wish they approached him differently, because his current iteration doesn't make his release worth it in my opinion and i wish people would incentivize BHVR to be different when designing powers by not immediately buying DLCs due to the namesake.

Personally, I disagree.

Undoubtedly, Jason is a mashup of pre-existing powers -- there's no disputing that. But I think he's an example of that done correctly. Killers that "borrow" aspects of other Killers' kits have a tendency to render their predecessors obsolete via power creep. But, to me, Jason feels like he reuses pre-existing elements in a way that is more unique than we usually see and doesn't step too much on the toes of who he is borrowing from.

Ranged powers have been done before -- including a ranged power that imbeds itself in Survivors, but Jason manages to bring something new to the table with the ability to spear Survivors against walls, as well replenish his throwable in a unique way. Having to temporarily break your own hooks in exchange for a quick reload mid-chase is pretty interesting, and is a new angle of interaction we've never seen from a Killer power before. Despite being such a promenant part of the Trials, Killer powers have never really directly interacted with hooks before, and I'm hoping it's a design space we'll see more experimentation with going forward.

His teleport is, admittedly, quite samey. The aesthetics and sound design are definitely doing the heavy lifting of making this aspect of his power feel more unique. In terms of raw mechanics, Dracula's bat form is a close comparison. Strength-wise, I haven't found it too oppressive as Survivor. For me, the ability to avoid detection via crouching, the global cue that the power is in use, and the restriction on where he can appear is enough to keep it in check.