Now that the “Game of Thrones” elephant has left the room, the cultural zeitgeist now looks forward to the second season of “Stranger Things,” Netflix’s surprising smash hit. But with a release date of October 27, some fans can’t wait to revisit the Upside Down. Luckily Netflix just announced a free-to-play mobile game called Stranger Things: The Game.
Produced by independent game developer BonusXP based in Allen, Texas, the adventure game shows off 8-bit era graphics as players go around the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, collecting Eggos and solving puzzles. The game will include popular locales from Stranger Things like Mirkwood Forest and the Hawkins Lab.
The gameplay and look will remind you of classic Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis titles like Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past, Earthbound, River City Ransom, and Castlevania. Unlocking new characters will give players new abilities to continue the game, which loosely follows the plot of the first season, though takes some liberties within. Just as the show packs numerous nostalgic reference to past TV shows and movies, so too will the game to previous game franchise you grew up loving.
-
Related Story: Has ‘Game Of Thrones’ Finally Jumped The Shark?
But in case that wasn’t enough pre-show hype for you, Netflix also released the show’s newest trailer. It recounts all the “stranger things” that happened in 1984, encapsulating New Coke, the Olympics, and Star Wars in its nostalgia snare.
Is the show trying too hard to impress you? Or is this all proper ramp-up to hit show’s second season? “Stranger Things” was special because of its hidden gem quality—a word-of-mouth sensation of a self-aware show that steered into its influences instead of ran away from them.
But is all this noise showcase “Stranger Things” is trying too hard to sell you on its product? Or are we getting everything upside down? We’ll have to wait until October 27 when all of the nine-episode second season drops on Netflix.
