Netflix has announced Stranger Things VR, a new game that will let fans of the show play as Vecna, the big bad from season four. Tender Claws, the developer, promises that the game will provide some more information and backstory about the creepy villain who terrorised Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, and the others last season.
In season four of Stranger Things, the kids and adults of Hawkins, Indiana had to face off with the deadly, dream-invading villain, Vecna. (A name given to him by the kids and based on a Dungeons & Dragons villain.) Vecna was a dangerous foe able to kill people via dreams, making him hard to defeat. Season 4 left Vecna’s exact status unclear. While it seems unlikely that this new VR game will be revealing where or if Vecna is still around, it will be delving into his past and origin.
Here’s the official description from Netflix and developer Tender Claws, who previously developed Wide Ocean Big Jacket:
Stranger Things VR will allow fans to experience the world of Stranger Things from the never-before-seen perspective of Vecna as he explores unknown realities, forms the hive mind, and enacts his plan for revenge against Eleven and Hawkins. Players will invade the dreams and memories of fan-favourite characters and harness telekinetic powers to battle humans and creatures alike, as Henry Creel’s transformation into Vecna and his influence on the events of prior seasons is revealed.
Perhaps the thing I’m most interested in is the bit at the end of that description, the promise that we will see how Vecna influenced past seasons of the show. We know Vecna was around in some form during the previous seasons, but how he connects to the events of the show prior to Season 4 has yet to be fully fleshed out or explained. And while there are some interesting fan theories out there, I’m excited to see a more official look at what Vecna was up to in Hawkins before and during the past seasons.
Stranger Things VR won’t be out until Winter 2023 and Netflix doesn’t say which platforms it will launch on beyond a vague promise of all “major” VR platforms. My guess is PSVR 2, which will be out next year, as well as Meta Quest 2 and PC VR via Steam. Hopefully, this will hold over Stranger Things fans as the wait for Season five continues. And hopefully, this new game is better than the bland season 3 game Netflix previously released in 2019.
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