POP! 8-Bit: Jason Voorhees (NES version)

Horror video games have a long, and often trashy history. For every Resident Evil, there’s at least three more crappy cash-ins that simultaneously typify the worst about video games and horror.

1989’s Friday the 13^th for the NES is one of the latter. It’s acquired a cult following, but it really wasn’t well-received at the time – or even afterwards*. Developer LJN was notorious for releasing terrible licensed video games for the NES (including a very so-so adaptation of A Nightmare on Elm Street), which have mostly been lost to history. Yet here we are in 2018 holding a piece of official Friday the 13^th video game merchandise – what a world we live in!

Part of Funko’s relatively new 8-bit subline, Jason is designed to look as though he’s stepped straight out of a mid-to-late 80s video game. However, his design isn’t strictly accurate; he appears to be an 8-bit version of his Freddy vs Jason self, with a jacket and stray hairs on the side of his head. But he is coloured to match the look of the NES game.

Now, you would be right in saying that purple and blue are not very “Jason” colours**, but the 8-bit era of gaming used plenty of idiosyncratic artwork. It’s just the nature of art meeting technology, with both often coming up short in the process.

I suspect its release is in large part due to NECA. Y’see, in 2013 NECA released a glow-in-the-dark version of Jason as a convention exclusive. As you might have guessed, that Jason was styled to look just like he does in the NES game. It was very well received by fans (eventually getting a slightly altered retail release) and sparked new interest in the game. There hasn't been a ton of merchandise since, but there's definitely been an upturn in what's been produced. Well done to Funko for riding this decidedly unusual trend.

While I’ve seen customs of the original Jason POP painted to match the game, this is not a figure I really expected to see mainstream release. It's great in or out of the box, a distinctive piece for your shelf that captures a fringe part of both Friday the 13^th fandom. My only real complaint is that he doesn’t glow!

*The Angry Video Game Nerd had quite a bit to say about it back in 2006.

**There’s also a version in regular colours, which seems to be the more widely available of the two. This NES version is a Gamestop exclusive in the USA. You can also get a Freddy in both regular and NES colours too.