Nerdful Things – Stranger Things: The Game

What better way to fill in the gap until Stranger Things season two comes than to PLAY Stranger Things?  The Netflix show has taken the world by storm and turned it upside down.

The game is as retro in its gameplay as it is with its visuals.  Your typical RPG-esque game with problem solving elements and simplistic controls is as brilliant as it is straightforward.  And, for a mobile game, it has no in-game purchases, adverts or other nonsense allowing a truly immersive, fun jaunt into the town of Hawkins and the Upside Down.

The game captures a lot of the nods and references the shows make in all of their 8-bit glory:

 

You start off as Hopper and, as you make your way through the game, you meet the kids from the story to add to your party.  Each one has a particular skill required to progress – for example, Lucas has a slingshot that you need to use to hit levers and otherwise unreachable targets to open doors and so on.

Character	Maximum Damage	Weapon & Skills	Upgrades
Hopper	2	Super Punch: Extra KnockbackCan charge at full health	Canadian Tuxedo: Gives Hopper +1 damage and +1 charge range at full health.
Lucas	1	Wrist Rocket: Ranged AttackDouble damage at full health	Camo Backpack (x3): Gives Lucas +25 Rock capacity.
Nancy	3	Lil Slugger: Destroys BreakablesHuge knockback at full health	Aluminum Bat: Gives Nancy a 2 damage attack.Spiked Bat: Gives Nancy a 3 damage attack.
Mike	1	Flashlight: Stuns enemiesBike: Jumps ramps, Fast travel	D-Cell Flashlight: Doubles Mike’s stun duration.
Will	15 (critical only)	Tight Squeeze: Crawl through pipesRapid move & attack low health	Lucky D20: Gives Will a 5 damage critical strike.
Dustin	1	Pudding: Distracts enemiesEnemies drop hearts at low health	Lunchbox: Gives Dustin +50 Pudding capacity.
Eleven	2	Pool Portal: Teleport between BathsHigh knockback at full health	None

It’s a fun little game with subtle challenges.  Unlike in the show, if you die you restart at the beginning of the area so you can tackle it without suffering from perma-death or worrying about saving your progress and losing the last twenty minutes or so of your time completely.

The plot:

Late at night, Hopper receives a phone call from Flo, who tells him the Byers boy and his friends have gone missing.

Chapter 1: The Lost Boys

Hopper goes to Hawkins National Laboratory with Officer Powell to start searching for the missing boys.

Chapter 2: The Gate

Hopper and Lucas go into The Upside Down and the woods to find Nancy who went into The Upside Down thinking she could find Barb.

Chapter 3: The Voice in the Radio

Nancy tells Hopper that Mike might be at Hawkins Middle School.

Chapter 4: Fire and Water

Mike gets a call from Will who is in the sewers, they need dynamite to get inside.

Chapter 5: Riddles in the Dark

The boys figure Dustin would hide in the library so the investigation continues there.

Chapter 6: The Hydra

Hopper figures all the gates to The Upside Down that have been appearing around town have been coming from the depths of Hawkins National Laboratory, as the gang gets to the bottom they find the Tentacle Hydra

There are also number of collectables to grab as well, requiring you to backtrack through previous areas once you have the required characters to reach the previously unreachable areas.

Eggos

An Eggo

In total, there are eight Eggos the player can collect. The first six are obtained by defeating the six dungeons while the last two require the player to search for and find them. Once all eight are collected and placed into Hopper’s lockbox, Eleven will be unlocked as a playable character and will automatically be available in the party in every subsequent save.

VHS Tapes

A VHS tape

There are eight VHS tapes for the player to collect. While one can be found in each of the six dungeons, the last two are hidden elsewhere. Once all eight have been found, an exclusive clip from the second season can be viewed in the movie theatre.

Available on Android and iOS, you’d have to be as senseless as Steve’s hair not to download it!  Do it for Barb.

 

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