/pic8288099.jpg)
Stranger Things: Upside Down is a board game based on the Stranger Things television series.
Hawkins, Indiana seems like an average town. However, underneath the exterior lurks a secret. The Hawkins National Laboratory has been doing experiments that have unleashed the horrors of the Upside Down. It's up to the kids in the town to save it.
In Stranger Things: Upside Down, players take on the role of the kids of Hawkins who are trying to stop the operatives of the Hawkins National Laboratory and the evils from the Upside Down. Players must work together to clear stacks of tokens before time runs out. The game offers two seasons of play.
Stranger Things: Upside Down is a cooperative game in which 2 to 4 players take on the role of the series’ protagonists. At the start of the game, players choose a Character and 1 of the 2 Seasons to play,each with its own board, actions, and unique sets of cards. Characters use Action cards to move through iconic Hawkins Locations, get Items, control their Fear, and to beat the value of token stacks in order to gather Allies, escape a secret government agency,help Eleven and be aided by her Powers, and fight the horrors coming from the Upside Down. They perform their actions over a series of turns until they reach their ultimate goal: to stop the Upside Down
forces and rescue Will... or get terrified trying.
Actions are performed by the Characters during their turn, according to the Location they’re in, abilities (in Mike’s case), or the presence of Foes. There are 2 types of Actions:
UNCONTESTED: Characters resolve the action without any obstacles.
CONTESTED: Characters must beat the value of stacks in order to resolve the action. Otherwise, the action cannot be resolved and the Character gains Fear
- Stunning board design and art that captures Hawkins and the Upside Down
- Beautiful multi-season boards with strong thematic integration
- Solid cooperative pacing that emulates drama and tension
- Good gateway potential and accessible for families
- High production values and components
- Moving as a single group is not streamlined; limited group movement options
- No item trading between characters limits synergy
- Only card-based threat knowledge; some randomness hidden behind cards
- Desire for more items/alliés and more variety between seasons
- cooperative pursuit to stop supernatural forces, rescue Will Byers, and emphasize friendship
- Hawkins, Indiana, 1983 (Season 1) and 1984 (Season 2) with the Upside Down as a threat
- drama/television-inspired, season-based storytelling with tension and character teamwork
- Horrified
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- ally recruitment and items — characters recruit allies and acquire items to assist in actions and challenges
- Cooperative Game — players work together as a team to achieve the objective and withstand threats
- cooperative play — players work together as a team to achieve the objective and withstand threats
- investigation and lab mechanics — investigating the lab can ignore a number of scene cards, mitigating risk
- risk/tension pacing through hand management — five action cards per turn can be spent to move, overcome challenges, or trigger bonuses; hazard cards increase end-of-turn draws
- season-based boards — two boards (Season 1 and Season 2) with distinct layouts to reflect the different seasons
- threat / scene cards — scene cards drive misfortune and escalating danger; difficulty is tracked via token stacks
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Stranger Things Upside Down is a Cooperative game in which players take on the role of the protagonists of the series trying to stop terrifying Supernatural forces and save Will from the horrors of the upside down
- the art on the board is excellent
- this is a no-brainer this is a this is a fun game
- the board is one of the coolest looking boards I've ever seen
- it's a gateway game to introduce people into Hobby Games
- it does a really good job of emulating the ebb and flow and the building tension and release found in a well-executed drama series
- pulling, pushing and shoving trying to fight the game as you are trying to rescue Will
- there are a few little drawbacks you know this isn't going to be a game you play all the time
References (from this video)
- strong IP flavor and theming
- family-friendly cooperative play with approachable rules
- heavily dependent on IP for appeal; mechanics may be familiar to co-op fans
- scalability to larger groups could be limited
- cooperative exploration with fear mechanics
- Stranger Things universe, episodic adventures
- IP-driven, screen-to-table adaptation
- Betrayal at House on the Hill (Stranger Things variant)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — players coordinate with character-specific abilities to complete objectives
- fear track — progression of fear adds tension and alters available actions
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm already getting my wish of Terraforming Mars going into it.
- Stranger Things Upside Down is coming straight to retail in 2023.
- The global board game market size is growing and mainstream, and we're part of that wave.
- Happy Salmon is being given away as part of the festivities, which is a fun party game to kick off the holidays.
References (from this video)
- faithful IP feel
- multiple seasons with carried-over elements
- satisfying cooperative run
- can be complex for casual players
- cooperative teamwork to save Will and collect evidence
- Stranger Things universe, Season 1–2 vibes
- season-driven, IP-forward adventure
- Arkham Horror LCG
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play with hand management — Players coordinate to pass skill tests and manage cards
- season-based decks — Different decks mirror season progression and character progression
- walkie-talkie communication — Communication mechanics emphasize teamwork and coordination
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- 13 games that we think you should check out for this Halloween season.
- This is one of the more immersive games I think we have on our list today.
- It's almost more of an activity than a game.