Stranger Things VR: New trailer reveals more gameplay and an earlier release date

The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is delivering today with a collection of new games big and small coming to the Meta Quest, but one of the most eagerly anticipated has to be Stranger Things VR. 

If you haven’t paid attention to the game’s development so far and were looking forward to using Eleven’s powers to battle the evil forces attacking Hawkins…not this time around. You are cast as Vecna and will be using your powerful telekinetic and telepathic abilities to defeat monsters and of course, bring about the destruction of those dastardly Hawkins residents that are out to ruin your carefully laid plans.

The brief gameplay trailer above gives us a more extensive look at the animated styling of the game, a wise choice given the surreal environments and the lack of processing power on the Quest 2 to handle a photorealistic depiction of the Stranger Things universe.

Quick note: If you aren’t caught up through season 4 of Stranger Things you are going to want to get that ticked off your watch list before approaching this game.

The game will delve into Henry Creel’s transformation into Vecna, giving you glimpses of Henry’s past in the Hawkins Lab as he looks to explore the interconnected hive mind and other realities. 

Beyond wielding your telekinetic abilities to hurl or crush opponents, you will also invade the dreams and memories of characters from the show like Willy Byers and Billy Hargrove to force them to carry out your commands. You will even be able to open and close portals between worlds, although that appears to be a dangerous proposition even for Vecna.

The game is available for pre-order now for $29.99 and will arrive this fall. It’s an intriguingly different view into the Stranger Things universe and while I’m curious to see how the graphics hold up on the Quest 2, I love the direction they’ve taken with the art style, something of an 80’s cartoon throwback look. I can’t wait to play it later this year.