I have gotten to the age where I understand what the phrase, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” feels like. There’s a certain sadness when a genre evolves and leaves behind the “tried and true” for new mechanics. These new mechanics may be great fun, but you still miss the “good, old days.” Luckily for old-timers like me, “Retro” is the in thing, so we get to enjoy our favorite genres the way they used to be; the way they were when we fell in love with them.

Stranger Things 3: The Game takes me back to the RPGs I loved as a teen in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, with its retro pixel graphics, isometric view, and the way it feels. I don’t know how else to describe it. The mechanics are modern, with action-based combat, QTEs, breakable environments, and crafting, but they feel old school.

Stranger Things 3: The Game is the official companion game to Season 3 of the Netflix original series. The storyline follows the show, so I’m not going to spoil it for you. Netflix and the developer BonusXP suggest not playing the game before watching the show to avoid spoilers. I, however, didn’t heed that warning because spoilers don’t really bother me.

I played through about half of the game before watching the first episode and I disagree with them. Yes, many of the game’s scenes and most of the dialog come directly from the show. However, there’s enough different about the game that I don’t believe it would prevent anyone from enjoying the show. I certainly enjoyed the first episode even though I had played way past the first chapter.

Instead, I think that watching the show first would spoil the game, which might explain the negative reviews the game has been getting. If spoilers bother you or will discourage you from watching the show, you should take Netflix and BonusXP’s advice. However, if you’re like me and can still enjoy a book after watching the movie based on that book, then please play the game first.

You control two of the 12 main characters and not only can you swap between them anytime, but you can also switch them for other characters at any time too. Trust me, you will need them all as you play through Season 3’s story. Like in Paper Mario, each character has a specific ability that you will need to advance. For example, Dustin’s special ability is Hacking and you will need him to open doors and chests with electronic keypad locks. Some doors are chained shut and you will need Joyce and her Bolt Cutters to open them.

I should mention here that some of the special abilities require you to complete a Quick Time Event (QTE). For example, Dustin’s hacking ability requires you to press the 3-6 buttons on the screen within the time limit. Normally, I hate QTE’s and avoid games with them because I suck at them, they frustrate me, and they just aren’t fun. Yet, I enjoyed the QTE’s in Stranger Things 3. None of them were difficult, and while you might not succeed on the first try, it never takes so long you get frustrated.

I consider ST3: TG to be semi-open world. While the game is broken up into areas (with a loading screen between them), you can move between areas as you wish and you can explore each area freely. The areas are fairly large and nicely done with lots of hidden items and secrets, things to break, and puzzles to solve.

Breaking items is important because that is where you will get most of your crafting materials and money. Solving puzzles is also important because not only do they allow you to advance the story, they give you access to secret rooms that contain chests. These chests may contain money, usable items such as medkits, crafting materials, or Trinkets.

In Stranger Things 3, you don’t earn XP or level up in any way. Your characters don’t have stats either. You enhance their attack, defense, and specials by equipping Trinkets. Some of these Trinkets affect the whole party, and some affect a specific character. Unfortunately, you can only have 5 Trinkets equipped at a time, so you must be choosy about what and whom you enhance. However, I found that this allowed me to customize my party’s strengths to my specific playstyle.

There’s not a lot to talk about in terms of the combat. You can have the main “party member” use their weapon or their special ability, while the second, uncontrolled “Buddy” attacks with their weapon. You can also hit the Y button to have your Buddy use their special attack. The special attacks take energy which you refill by drinking Cokes. Their health is refilled by using Med Kits. Med Kits and Cokes can be found in chests, purchased from vending machines, or found randomly in the areas. Med Kits and Cokes work on both party members simultaneously, which I appreciated.

Where the combat in Stranger Things 3 really gets difficult is when you encounter what I call puzzle bosses. Puzzle bosses are immune to damage until you solve the puzzle of their weakness. One puzzle boss can only be damaged in the dark, so you must find the breaker and kill the electricity while being attacked, then do as much damage as possible before the puzzle resets and the lights come back on. Another puzzle boss can only be damaged after stunning themselves by running into a wall.

The crafting is really simple, but fun and some of the things you craft are hilarious. For example, REO Speedshoes (band pun) make you go faster, and Firestarter (movie pun) increases fire damage. Crafting is done at workbenches that are found in most areas. Crafting materials can be bought from vending machines or stores, found in containers, by destroying objects, and sometimes as quest rewards.

Speaking of quests, Stranger Things 3: The Game has a ton of them. If you are a side quest junkie like me, you’ll be in heaven. Almost every main character has a quest for you. Some are quick and easy, others require puzzle solving and time-consuming exploration and backtracking, but all are enjoyable. Most of them had me laughing so hard that I had to pause the game because I couldn’t see.

I absolutely enjoyed every minute of Stranger Things 3: The Game. The modern mechanics combined with the old school feel and visuals are a winning combination. If you enjoy old school RPGs or old school action games for that matter, I think you’ll enjoy ST3: TG. If you’ve never played either genre, this is a great game to get into them. Even if you aren’t a fan of the show and have never watched an episode, I think you’ll enjoy Stranger Things 3: The Game.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Stranger Things 3: The Game was provided by BonusXP for this review.

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Stranger Things 3: The Game

$19.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Fantastic Retro Feel
• Hilarious Puns Throughout
• Fun, Challenging But Not Difficult QTEs
• Simplified Crafting
• Lots and Lots of Side Quests

Cons

• Characters Without a Special Ability Are Kind of Useless
• Some Puzzles are Frustrating