Stranger Things 3: The Game

Stranger Things 3: The Game is a decent throw-back to older titles and a strong tie-in to the current third season to the show. Being a game version of the third season, you need to have prior knowledge of the show, its events and characters otherwise it'll be lost on you. Beyond this, the game has a nostalgic feel with charming retro visuals and beat-em-up combat, combined with modern sensibilities like making the areas of Stranger Things explorable, with a decent amount of content thrown in to give the game a decent amount of gameplay value. The only major issue is that towards the end of the game there's too much repetition. Still, for the smaller price, it's more than worth it for fans of the series.

Even if its pretty straight-forward, Stranger Things 3: The Game is well-made and funny. It’s a well-balanced game focusing on the fans. The other ones may think it is repetitive and lacking strong characters.

Stranger Things 3: The Game isn’t going to set any gold standards for video game tie-ins, but it does a fine job of capturing all the elements that have made the TV show such a phenomenon. Exploring Hawkins and interacting with the wider cast is really going to appeal to fans of the franchise, but the repetitive quest designs and unremarkable combat can make it a bit of a slog if you’ve yet to catch the Stranger Things bug. Still, thanks to its appealing visuals, accessible gameplay and atmospheric synthwave soundtrack, there are arguably many worse ways to spend your summer.

Stranger Things 3: The Game is a great adaption of the series that maintains the mystery of the series but unfortunately misses a lot of potential the unique setting provides.

I'm conflicted. Cooperative titles like this are hard to find nowadays, especially with drop-in, drop-out co-op. There's no denying it's fun exploring with a friend and the game contains some genuinely clever challenges, especially during the boss fights. There's the seed of a great game here, and I'd genuinely like to see more like it. I really hope BonusXP gets the chance to use this engine to make something else: It's pretty good for a licensed product, but ultimately, that's all it is.

Stranger Things 3: The Game is a throwback to a time when the only audience the game is suited for are non-discerning fans of the series. Even then, there's not much here unless they're completely fine reliving the events of the season in a loose way. The gameplay is serviceable, but there's not much here to draw in people who just want a solid title or something to enhance their experience of the show. It isn't that bad if you can get it for cheap, but it isn't something to actively seek out, either.

As someone who enjoys Stranger Things, walking around a pixelated version of Hawkins’ familiar locations with characters from the show is enjoyable. Outside of the sightseeing, however, the game does little else to garner excitement. The combat doesn’t ask much of the player and the mission structure underwhelms. If you want to experience the events of Stranger Things’ third season, you’re better off sticking to the source material.

I wish BonusXP had the chance to utilize their talents with a different IP, because the whole approach here is flawed. [Issue #42 – October 2019, p. 19]

Stranger Things 3: The Game blends a beat'em up with RPG elements in a 16-bit environment and while it does a good job at recreating the environment of the renowned series, it ends up disappointing when it comes to its gameplay, namely its combat system, and an overall sense of dullness that becomes a feature throughout the entire game.

You'll be more irritated than scared. [Issue#336, p.121]

Stranger Things 3: The Game won’t appeal to fans of the television show as it’s a frustrating experience that reminds you of all of the high points of the third season but never actually reaches them itself. Instead you are stuck with a bunch of dull fights to get through, bland puzzles to solve, and reading pieces of dialogue from the show without any sort of performance by the actors. Don’t tarnish your memories of the third season by playing this.