Stranger Things 3: The Game (Limited Run #310) - PlayStation 4

Product Information

I’m hoping we’ll get a port of the first Stranger Things mobile game, seeing as it’s already a thing. Although, having a new game in the same style as this one for the previous two seasons (and more in-depth narrative exposition) would be even better!

Singh, Jagmeet (June 1, 2023). " 'Stranger Things' game developer BonusXP is shutting down". TechCrunch . Retrieved 2023-08-08. Speaking of which, you can and are encouraged to smash up everything from shrubs and fire hydrants through to beachballs and more in search of precious coins and loot. Though i’m pretty sure that Joyce Byers would be disgusted to see young Mike Wheeler come into her shop and start busting up everything in search of coins, this is a video game, a decidedly arcade styled retro one at that in which clearly developer Bonus XP knows its audience. My main issue with the game is that it feels like a companion to the series, a side ‘thing’ for fans to play through and relive the events whilst exploring the environments and new residents of Hawkins. However, the appeal for people who haven’t seen the show, or those who would rather play a game than watch the show, is a bit lower in my opinion. This opinion of mine all comes down to two things, continuity and being faithful to the source material. Again, I’m not blaming BonusXP as I’m sure they weren’t given all of the key factual information beforehand, but now the show is out there, maybe a few tweaks here and there could be performed to bridge the gap and make it more accessible for newcomers? characters are playable in the game, including Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max, Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy, Steve and Erica.

“Well, if droids could think, there'd be none of us here, would there?”

a b Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (2019-07-08). " Stranger Things 3: The Game Switch eShop (2019)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved 2023-08-04. Most of the gameplay revolves around beating up various creatures and evil humans, then collecting the money and items they drop to craft “Trinkets” which boost one or more characters’ abilities. These range from an upgraded wallet and the classic nail bat to more exotic items such as a Wonder Woman costume or a belching contest trophy. The trinkets each affect different sets of characters, and it helps to consider whether your current party is composed of kids, adults, males, or female heroes and adjust your equipment accordingly. The most powerful and difficult to craft trinkets only affect a single character, but these usually offer a much greater benefit to offset their lessened utility. a b Hilliard, Kyle (2019-07-15). " Stranger Things 3: The Game Review". Game Informer . Retrieved 2023-08-04. I’m going to give the game two scores down below, one is for fans of the show who has seen Season 3 and the other is for new players or those who haven’t seen the show. My advice would be to actually watch the show then play the game, as you’ll have more context and understand it a little better. However, it’s not a requirement as the gameplay itself holds up and is fun to play both solo and with another person. If the developers are reading this – I would have personally liked them to have created a Stranger Things 1-3 game, incorporating all the key events from all three games so it was more accessible to everyone.

Stranger Things 3: The Game is a retro-inspired isometric action game that has been aesthetically created with pixel-art in an effort to mimic older games whilst operating as a modern one. In that respect, the developers have pulled this off as I love the art design of the environments, creatures, characters and all the references scattered around the place (just like in the show). The game itself is quite deep when it comes to the actual gameplay side as you’ll not just be running around hitting creatures, you’ll also need to survive by crafting armour and accessories as well as strategically managing your team and solving co-op-based puzzles.Stranger Things 3: The Gameis a note-for-note retelling of Stranger Thingsseason three, released day and date with the popular Netflix series. If you haven’t seen it, Stranger Things(the show) draws influence from several retro sources, most notably the novels of Stephen King and child-endangerment movies of the ’80s such as The Gooniesand Stand By Me.Similarly, the Stranger Thingsvideo game takes inspiration from games of days gone by, especially late SNES titles. This is a little ironic since the show is set in 1985, just before the Nintendo Entertainment System debuted in select markets in the U.S., and the Super NES graphics the game is imitating wouldn’t show up for another decade. Graphically I really liked the art style adopted for Stranger Things 3: The Game. It’s much better than the art used within their first Stranger Things game as this one looks more grown-up and realistic, rather than chibi-looking. Despite the pixel-art, you could clearly make out who everyone was, either from their character models or avatars, and all of the texts and instructional GUI was easy to read and understand. I particularly liked how dark and gritty certain parts of the game became – if you’ve watched the show then you’ll know how this season was the darkest and most brutal it’s been so far; the game doesn’t disappoint with its hideous creatures and rather disturbing encounters.