Paid horror game from the classic franchise
Goosebumps: Dead of Night is a paid action game created by Cosmic Forces based on the classic children’s horror fiction by R.L. Stine. The massive literary franchise has been reimagined as a series of first-person spooky challenges, divided into three chapters that masterfully combine stealth, puzzle, and even action at times.
With a stylized 3D art style that combines the realistic and cartoonish, Goosebumps: Dead of the Night is a fun, child-friendly game. It still has issues but is still mostly playable, giving off similar wholesome horror vibes to Little Nightmares or Spooky’s House of Jump Scares.
A wacky, slightly scary horror adventure
In Goosebumps: Dead of the Night, series antagonist Slappy the Dummy has unleashed monsters from the Goosebumps universe. From the innocent-looking Lawn Gnomes, the futuristic Annihilator 3000, to arguably the most famous monster Werewolf of Fever Swamp—it’s a wave of nostalgia for fans of the source material and a fun assortment of monsters for the younger generation. Your task is to recover Slappy’s book and seal them all away.
Of course, you get to meet a few allies along the way, also from the franchise. Meet Nikola Tesla, Dr. Michael Brewer from the second book, and R.L. Stine himself—the last one brought to life with superb voice acting from Jack Black. The game’s objectives vary: There are puzzles and object searches, and you even get to fight some of the monsters.
Still, its horror aspect feels like it was more faithful to the films instead of the books. Fans of the book might find the scare a bit underwhelming, although it does make the game child-friendly at the cost of diluting the scare factor. Also, developers can look at improving the AI behavior and making it more dynamic. Having the exact same movement patterns kills the replayability potential of the game.
Fun, enjoyable, and mildly scary
Overall, Goosebumps: Dead of the Night remains fun and playable. It’s not as serious and as scary as the original books, leaning closer to the film and TV adaptations. Still, the references to the franchise are as clear as day, and they’ve been given the proper treatment to connect with fans of all ages. Collect the pages of an ancient book and seal the monsters away. Fun, enjoyable, and recommended.
