A bit of light fun. :)
First, a disclaimer. I have a very limited knowledge of the "Goosebumps" intellectual property. I seem to remember reading a couple of the books in my younger years; and I definitely remember seeing some of the TV show episodes, but even that was a long time ago. As such, this review should be taken as coming from an enjoyer of point & click adventure games, not necessarily a fan of the franchise.
Story - Entertaining overall. There seemed to be many nods, references, and Easter eggs to the many tales of R.L. Stine, at least that's what others in my stream were telling me. From that perspective, I imagine this game is a delight. :) Unfortunately for me, I was only able to appreciate the elements of the game itself. I thought the story was fun, it made me smile, it was never scary (though I don't believe that was the intent), and I very much enjoyed how the game's ending tied into the first "Goosebumps" live-action movie with Jack Black. I shan't go in detail regarding the connection as that might be considered a spoiler for some. :)
Audio - I don't recall noticing much music, though when I did take notice, I liked what I heard. The music is fitting, thematic, and helps to create the atmosphere I believe they were going for. Sound design was average.
Gameplay - Mechanically this game is mostly sound; everything worked. There is something that could have been done better on console. On PlayStation 4, the triangle button is pushed to immediately relocate the onscreen cursor from the environment portion of the screen to the inventory section. I like this, it is a good idea as the cursor generally moves a bit slow and there's no way to speed it up on console. However, pressing the triangle button again does not relocate the cursor from the inventory section to the environment portion. I suppose the logic behind this absence is that if someone is navigating their inventory then they mean to 'use' an item. While this is generally true, some puzzles in this game will have you scratching your head (or at least they did, me). Sometimes I would scroll through my inventory re-reading item descriptions in case I missed something pertaining to a convoluted puzzle. In order to shift the cursor from the inventory section back to the environment portion of the screen without using an item, I would have to push the analog stick briefly to the left, wait a moment, then press the stick again and hold it. This may not seem like a troublesome thing, and it isn't, but considering how often I spent doing this, and how easily a fix could have been implemented, I think this worthy of mention. As for the difficulty of the game's puzzles, well, I'm uncertain. For me, I was able to solve most main campaign puzzles solo, though it did take some time. Some of these puzzles were real head scratchers, and some I solved through trial & error attempting to use items. There were 2 puzzles in particular that I needed help to solve, 1 of which I'm not sure that I would've gotten on my own (thanks be to my stream audience). Then there are the side-puzzles, activities that don't seem necessary to beating the game, but may net your trophies / achievements, or offer additional insight into the game's story and R.L. Stine's lore. These, for me, felt much harder. I suppose that's fair considering these are side activities, but being something of a completionist it would have been nice to solve them all without enduring befuddlement. Now let me explain why I previously mentioned that I'm uncertain as to the difficulty of these puzzles. My difficulty in determining solutions may stem from my limited knowledge of Goosebumps. I found myself often wondering if some of these exact same puzzles were found in R.L. Stine's books, along with their solutions. If so, these puzzles and their rewards may provide a fond trip down memory lane, bits made easy through recollection rather than hard earned logical deduction. Fans may find these solutions easier; I'm uncertain.
Overall, this is an entertaining, though sometimes mind-bending, good time. It's lighthearted with an air of spooky mystery fun. :)
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