Parents' Guide to Stranger Things: 1984

What's the best way to capture the vibe of Stranger Things, the retro-themed adventure TV series with more geeky references than you can throw a 20-sided die at? If you're Netflix, you release Stranger Things: 1984, a retro-themed adventure video game with all of those references and more. From its pixelated art style to the cheesy text dialogue in those little black boxes to the silly flourish that characters show when discovering a key item, the game is like a time capsule back to the heyday of the 8-bit era. It's also great to see not only the constant references back to the Stranger Things series, but also all the nostalgic nods to '80s pop culture.

Stranger Things: 1984 might do a great job bringing the look and the personality of the series to a gaming environment, but it doesn't mean much if the game itself isn't any fun to play. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be much to worry about here. It has a surprising amount of content that will keep players busy for a while. Aside from the main progression of the story, there are also lots of nooks and crannies to explore and plenty of oddball collectibles to find. The movement controls aren't the most fluid, with players simply tapping where to move to or what to interact with and then waiting for the character to catch up. It can make some of the more intense puzzles or boss fights a little frustrating. Even so, losing a fight doesn't ever cost much in the way of progress, with players respawning usually a screen or so over from where they were. Overall, even without the Stranger Things name attached to it, Stranger Things: 1984 would be a great homage to old-school video gaming. But being a part of the Stranger Things universe? That cranks everything up to an Eleven.