October Massacre

October Massacre was one of those games you'd find on a Flash portal in the mid-2000s. It fit right in with the simple, often darkly humorous titles that were popular then. The game had a clear, cartoonish style that made its premise immediately understandable.

You control a kid with a knife, moving through a neighborhood. Your goal is to collect candy by defeating other children. You click to swing your weapon, and each successful hit adds to your score. The other kids fight back, so you have to keep moving and time your attacks. The pace is quick, and the difficulty comes from managing several opponents at once. It feels like a straightforward, chaotic scramble.