Review: Goosebumps Dead of Night

Buyer beware, you will be scared

Like Brett, I was obsessed with the Goose bumps books when I was a child. Growing up, this obsession hardly ever died.

I watched most TV shows (even haunting hour), the two recent Jack Black feature films and pretty much everything in between. But even as Goose bumps diehards, you’ll want to skip the adaptation in a hurry death of night.

Dead Goosebumps at Night (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Cosmic Forces
Publisher: Cosmic Forces
Released: June 19, 2020 (PC, Xbox One) / TBA (PS4, Switch)
MSRP: $39.99

Described as an expanded version of the most well-received (and VR-compatible) game night of fears, death of night is actually devolution in just about every way.

In theory, I love the premise, which is (at first) borrowed from scares. Playing as the silent protagonist “Twist”, you enter Goose bumps author R. L. Stine’s seemingly abandoned home, only to find that evil model Slappy has started hell on Earth; freeing Stine’s horror creations from the confines of his books. It’s your job to find hidden pages all over Stine’s house and capture Slappy.

From there, the game plays like a free first-person roam Five nights at Freddy’s‘s. Pages are hidden behind objects and in cabinets, but hunting is only half the battle, as you’ll have to conjure (and hide from) a bunch of enemies with different mechanics. This includes a killer clown who only hunts you when the lights are out, a zombie that roams upstairs, a werewolf that patrols downstairs, and mischievous lawn gnomes.

In theory, I actually dig the multifaceted enemy puzzle approach. Having to keep the lights on (while the gnomes run around and turn them off) is pretty fun, as is the treasure hunt thing. The house should have been the entire game which has a certain cheeseball feel to it (accompanied by less forgiving faded visuals). Surprisingly, Jack Black (who plays Stine in the films) is a credited voice: so it’s legit JB we get here, not Mick Wingert (who sometimes moonlights for the actor on projects like the kung fu panda TV show).

Unfortunately, the literal and figurative house of cards completely collapses after about 20 minutes. Instead of sticking to this formula, death of night is three microgames in one, spread across a three-act layout. The house segment ends quickly in about half an hour (abruptly and without any gain), then you head to Dr. Brewer’s garden and a giant Tesla tower (the finale of the second film). Each of these slots lasts about 20-30 minutes each, and then you’re done.

If the house part was five nights, the Garden is a point-A-to-point B walking simulation, and the Tower is a first-person shooter with light puzzle elements. It’s just a shame because both of these parts of the game seem like a complete waste of time, but somehow overstay their welcome simultaneously. The moment I was running around a factory shooting down evil gummy bears (also from the second movie) with a Tesla gun, I started to question my reality.

My wife, another big fan of the books, casually watched me play and decided to bake cookies near the end of the second act. When she came back and saw me moving Tesla lasers trying to solve a resident Evil light puzzle style, she asked “what does this have to do with Goose bumpsMy response: “I…don’t know. This last act lasts about half an hour like the others, then you’re done: Slappy’s head pops out (not really a spoiler!) and then the credits roll abruptly. If you spent 40 bucks on it, it will send shivers down your spine than most real-life Stine stories. It’s such a bummer.

I can just imagine a kid saving up their pocket money to buy that expensive meatball and crying afterwards: if you’re reading this, don’t, Timmy! If you want your Goose bumps game solution, stay with the stylish and lovingly designed 2015 adventure game that costs $10 or less on more platforms.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

source: gameplaytrick.com -

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