Goosebumpsis one of the best-selling book series of all time, and it has recently gained a new boost in popularity thanks to a new show running on Disney+. Many 90s and 00s children have grown up with this series, and it still is a relevant piece of pop culture to this very day.
However, despite the franchise’s success in other media, there haven’t been quite as many video game adaptations of the series, with only a few games released over the course of thirty years. Most titles take inspiration from a specific book, while others are instead based on the whole series. But which games were the bestGoosebumpsadaptions?
Goosebumps: Night of Scares(renamedGoosebumps: Dead of Nightin later versions of the game) is a survival horror game set after the events of the movie. The game has players take the role of Twist, a young boy who is trapped inside a house haunted by Goosebumps antagonists, with Slappy as the main villain. While this concept may sound good on paper, the game is incredibly lackluster and is even considered by someone of the worst games available on current hardware.
Visually, it looks decent most of the time, but the core gameplay is barely functional, and the game ends in just 1-2 hours, which is astoundingly short even for aGoosebumpsgame. Because of this, many fans felt that the price tag for the game was too greedy, and they had a point. Even now that it can be found at a lower price though, it’s still hard to recommend this even to most die-hard fans, becausethere are far many better first-person survival horror games on current systems.
4Goosebumps: Attack Of The Mutant
Goosebumps: Attack of the Mutantis a first-person adventure game,and is one of the first games ever to use cel-shading. While kids may find some enjoyment in this adventure, it has aged very poorly, for multiple reasons. It’s most notable in the visual department, but also gameplay-wise the game is very bland and boring, with nothing interesting going on.
It doesn’t help that the game also lacks any kind of scare, which is what madeGoosebumpsfamous. While it’s true that the book it’s based on was a more comedic take on theGoosebumpsformula, this version fails to deliver any of the thrills the book had, and it’s forgettable at best. However, it does have Adam West and James Belushi in its voice cast, which is just mind-blowing.
3Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland
Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorlandis a first-person point-and-click adventure, and is the very first game based on the franchise. This is a sequel to “One Day at HorrorLand”, with the protagonists ending up trapped in the HorrorLand theme park. The game keeps all the core elements of a good Goosebumps story, thanks to a tense atmosphere, creepy locations, and an eerie soundtrack.
Like most of the early 90s adventure games,Escape from Horrorlandhasn’t aged very nicely, and it would be difficult to play for anyone who hasn’t grown up with it. Still, players who have fond memories of theGoosebumpsfranchise may find some enjoyment in this classic, and there are still some fans who are waiting for a remake of the game. Plus,there’s a cameo from Jeff Goldblum, which will be enough by itself for many fans.
2Goosebumps: The Game
Goosebumps: The Gameis one of the most recent entries in the franchise, and it’s also one of the best. The game is a point-and-click adventurethat acts as a prequel to the 2015Goosebumpsmovie, and players need to battle classicGoosebumpsantagonists as they try to escape from their books.
This is a very basic point-and-click horror adventure, and it really doesn’t do anything new for the genre. However, it captures the essence of the series quite nicely, and it’s an absolute must-play for those who love the movie, or theGoosebumpsfranchise in general. The game is full of references to all the books of the series, and fans will enjoy finding every little cameo hidden in the adventure. Sadly, fans didn’t get a sequel for the game when the second movie was released, but this one is still fun to pick up and play even today.
1Goosebumps: HorrorLand
Goosebumps: Horrorlandis a peculiar entry in the series, mainly because it’s the only non-adventure game in the franchise. This is a minigame collection set in the HorrorLand theme park, which has served as a location for manyGoosebumpsbooks. While the minigames themselves are average at best, the fact that the game allows players to freely roam around HorrorLand is enough to make this a must-play for everyGoosebumps fan.
The game is also filled with references to otherGoosebumpsstories, and it’s the game that most captures the essence of the book series, thanks to a spooky atmosphere and a nice adaptation of HorrorLand,filled with creepy and dangerous attractions. For all those who’ve always wanted to live a Goosebumps story, there’s no better choice thanGoosebumps: Horrorland.
