Goosebumps, the horror franchise based on R.L. Stines novels for kids and young adults, has a long legacy of video games. It goes all the way back to 1996, when Goosebumps: Escape from HorrorLand was released, a challenging point and click horror game that inspired several spin-off Goosebumps games over the years. Now Goosebumps is back with yet another horror game, this one titled Goosebumps: Dead of Night. The legacy of HorrorLand continues.
According to developer Cosmic Forces, Goosebumps: Dead of Night is a new first-person horror game being developed for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It, too, is a horror game and it, too, is full of mischief, puzzles, and general adventuring just like 1996's Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland. Goosebumps may now be internationally popular with a major motion picture, but its video games are still focusing on classic ideas.
The story of Goosebumps: Dead of Night is described to revolve around the villain Slappy the Dummy, Slappy the Dummy being a literal living ventriloquist dummy first written in 1993's Goosebumps novel Night of the Living Dummy. The character was so popular that R.L. Stine brought it back for 8 additional Goosebumps books in the years since. Though R.L. Stine has since written another 10 SlappyLand books with several more to come. He's become Goosebumps' most famous villain, so it's no surprise he's back in the game.
In Goosebumps: Dead of Night, Slappy steals a number of pages from the Goosebumps books. The result is, as many can guess, an array of Goosebumps villains and monsters unleashed and in the players' way. Author R.L. Stine will also be referenced in the game as its narrator, voiced by none other than Jack Black.
Like the Goosebumps film franchise starring Jack Black, Goosebumps: Dead of Night is certain to be a throwback to all of the Goosebumps franchise's most popular stories. Expect clowns, werewolves, garden gnomes, vampires, witches, and more.
Cosmic Forces did also confirm that Goosebumps: Dead of Night builds off of the studio's previous VR game Goosebumps: Night of Scares. However, Dead of Night will feature a bunch of new content. New story chapters, new monsters, better AI for villains, and more is being added to the game. Expect to hear more about this horror game in the weeks and months to come.
Goosebumps: Dead of Night releases this summer on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.