Senior Jeannie Lee is a big fan of the Netflix sci-fi horror drama series, Stranger Things.
“I started loving the show from the beginning of quarantine,” Lee said. “I just decided to watch it because I was bored and wanted to binge on shows, but Stranger Things was actually so fun that I finished all seasons in just three days.”
But she, like many of her peers, was taken aback when she learned earlier this week that the streaming service – most popular among Gen Z folks like Lee – has ventured into the mobile gaming industry.
Its first two releases include Stranger Things 3: The Game and Stranger Things: 1984.
“I was really surprised when I saw a new row of games on my Netflix app,” said Lee, who first found out about this news from The Accolade. “However, it was a pleasant surprise for me because I love to play games and there was a new game for me to play based on my favorite show.”
Stranger Things 3: The Game features characters from season 3 of the original show with them completing quests while exploring the unfamiliar area of Hawkins. Similarly, Stranger Things: 1894 presents characters from seasons 1 and 2 of the show where they fight against enemies and monstrous creatures in dungeons.
“The characters and the setting were really cute and reminded me of the games I used to play on Nintendo, but the game itself was actually really hard because the guards [in the game] kept beating me up, and I had to redo a lot of stages,” said Lee, referring to her dalliance with 1984.
But because of the unexpected complexity of the game, she does not plan to continue. She said she considers trying out other games during Thanksgiving break in her leisure time.
Unlike Lee and many of his peers, freshman David Tapia said he was aware of Netflix’s mobile game offerings and looked forward to taking a stab at Stranger Things: 1984.
“I played Stranger Things: 1984, and it was all right,” Tapia said. “The game became fun with the harder puzzles, so I’m planning on playing it offline on long car rides since it’s pretty fun trying to solve it.”
All Netflix subscribers can access the game with no additional charge.
“I thought it was interesting that Netflix decided to add its TV and movie platform to give it more attention,” said senior Riya Bhatka, who was also unaware of this new development with Netflix. “I haven’t played them yet, but I would love to try them out and see how they are.”
Besides the two Stranger Things-themed titles released Nov. 2 exclusively to Android users who have a Netflix subscription, the streaming service launched three other mobile games on Nov. 3 for Android users: Shooting Hoops (a basketball shooting game by firing darts), Card Blast (puzzle card game similar to poker) and Teeter Up (working a platform to score a ball into a hole), Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game.
For those with iPhones, they had to wait until Nov. 9 to play the two Stranger Things games and the day after for the other three.
To access their games, users must log into their Netflix profile where a catalog of games to choose from will appear. Upon selecting each game, the App Store will automatically open for users to download the individual game.
Netflix syncs the language from the user’s profile, and users can play the games on different devices as long as they log into their personal account.
Netflix also made its mobile games available offline, enabling people to play in areas without any internet connection.
Many students say they look forward to what other mobile offerings the streaming platform will next come up with.
“I hope Netflix will create a game based on Legacies,” said senior Yurie Jeong, who played Shooting Hoops for the first time Nov. 14. “It would be really fun to play a game where characters such as vampire, witch, werewolf defeats against monsters using their own special abilities.”
