Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is the newest game from GameMill Entertainment, based on the famous children’s horror series of books from author R.L Stine. Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek promises to be an original story inspired by the novels, filled with suspense, dread and mystery. I played the version on PS5. It also releases on Xbox X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Does it live up to its cherished spooky heritage? Say your prayers, keep your nightlight on and let’s find out.
Tales to Give You…
Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is not adapted from any particular novel, rather opting to be an original story within the Goosebumps universe. This is a bold choice and unfortunately it seems that the developers didn’t really do anything interesting with this creative freedom. I have never read the series, but I remember the cheesy 90’s series freaking me out as a kid. This game does little to compare. There is a severe lack of creativeness from the plot and characterisation and I definitely was not expecting a lot from this title. The plot sort of meanders and does nothing to engage the player, often leaving me confused or bored. At its best, I would let a laugh slip out over its own absurdities.
You Can’t Scare Me!
From a design perspective, Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek leaves a lot to be desired. Character models are very basic, with some characters basically being reskins of each other. Monster designs include generic goopy monsters, a mummy, and a “phantom of the opera” ghoul. There is also the library monster which is creepier than the others but that’s all the game offers in terms of its monsters. This wouldn’t be a problem if the encounters were engaging but they’re either laughably rudimentary or plain frustrating. On top of that, the game isn’t really scary at all. The only tense moments I had came from monsters chasing me, but if you keep running, they never catch up to you. Once I realised this, I stopped wasting time hiding when I could just run circles around them, literally!
It’s not all bad, there are some attempts at fleshing out the game’s mechanics. In later sections,stepping on broken glass alerts monsters to your location. The slingshot shoots different pellets to either attack, distract or confuse monsters. The haunted book is an interesting mechanic in theory but you really just use it to open pathways. Crystal balls placed around the map offer hints for the game’s various puzzles (more on them later). I also thought that using typewriters as save points could be a reference to Resident Evil, but writing this I realise it is probably referencing R.L Stine’s use of a typewriter. Either way, I found it neat.
Why I’m Afraid of Puzzles
I feel that I have to mention the puzzles. Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is definitely geared towards kids, but the puzzles are just not explained clearly enough. Late in the game there is a puzzle involving trains. You have to guide them through a series of tunnels, using the slingshot to change where the train will go. However, you also have to evade a monster and run the risk of sending the train back to the start. This puzzle drove me absolutely mad. I spent ages figuring it out and even longer getting it to work. The monster catching you often meant sending the train off course. I hated it.
Multiple times I would encounter a puzzle and genuinely try and solve it correctly, but I found the clues to be subpar. Puzzles were often worded strangely or just had poor environmental hints, causing me to use brute force to solve them. In the final hour of the game I just guessed my way through the puzzles and got through them much quicker. Saying that, I have to mention that I beat the game in only four hours. For having a €40 price tag, I can hardly say it’s worth it. I should also mention that a puzzle did break during my playthrough, solved by restarting the game. I encountered no bugs or glitches otherwise.
The Game Who Cried Monster
I’m not sure what else I can say about Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek. I have nothing to say in relation to the soundtrack because there isn’t really any music during gameplay. Sound design, voice acting, the script, and graphics are all below average even for a low budget title. I’m not sure who thought a game based on Goosebumps was a good idea, especially with this game’s ideas. This title certainly doesn’t live up to its source material and I can’t recommend it.
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