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Eat waffles and battle the Demogorgon in this fan-made 'Stranger Things' game

Play as Eleven to collect holiday lights and give Barb a bonus life in this fan-made Pac-Man-style game.

Bonnie Burton
Journalist Bonnie Burton writes about movies, TV shows, comics, science and robots. She is the author of the books Live or Die: Survival Hacks, Wizarding World: Movie Magic Amazing Artifacts, The Star Wars Craft Book, Girls Against Girls, Draw Star Wars, Planets in Peril and more! E-mail Bonnie.
Bonnie Burton
2 min read
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Play as Eleven or her new friends Mike, Dustin or Lucas in the game Stranger Play.

Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

Warning: Spoilers for season 1 of "Stranger Things" below. Read at your own risk.

If you're already sick of waiting for the second season of the hit Netflix sci-fi series "Stranger Things," you can always kill some time with Stranger Play.

Copywriter Danielle Gasbarro and artist Claire Barnette created the online Pac-Man-style game with extra expertise from game developer Amr Zewail and graphics programmer Volkan Ilbeyli.

"We are both completely obsessed with 'Stranger Things' -- from how lovable the kids are to the visual style of the production," Gasbarro said. "We also were so fascinated with how much it resonated with such a variety of age groups while being so specifically rooted in the '80s."

Fan art of "Stranger Things" as a retro-looking adventure game and an 8-bit game inspired Gasbarro and her creative partner to make the idea a reality.

"We've been following other people's fan art, and saw a few games only to find out that they weren't actually playable," Gasbarro said. "So we thought, 'Let's give the people, aka us, what they want.' The original Pac-Man in 8-bit felt like a natural extension of the show so we went with that style."

The game -- which can be played online but not on mobile -- looks easy enough at first glance, but don't let that fool you. Use the arrow keys to navigate one of the main characters through the maze collecting holiday light bulbs and eating waffles. But watch out. The Demogorgon, Dr. Hawkins and his lab goons will all be hot on your trail.

"With our board design, we unintentionally made the game really hard to beat," Gasbarro said. "Mind your corners, and never trust a doctor with better hair than you."

The best part of the game happens to be a tribute to the beloved character who met an untimely end in the first season.

"My favorite part of the game is Barb as the bonus life," Gasbarro said. "Maybe that's wishful thinking, but I have my fingers crossed for next season."

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Can you collect all the Christmas lights and waffles before the Demogorgon gets you?

Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET