# Stranger Things Pinball Premium Edition Post Stream Thoughts

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2020-01-17  
**Duration:** 4m 47s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ-sKof6ybM

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## Analysis

Carrie Hardy provides post-stream commentary on the Stranger Things Premium Edition reveal, expressing cautious skepticism about the game's current state. While acknowledging the projector mechanic as a differentiator from Pro, she criticizes bare animation code, limited ramp visuals, and questions whether the Premium features justify the price given ongoing LE availability. Hardy emphasizes she hasn't played the machine and urges the community to respect differing opinions rather than defensively justifying purchases.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stranger Things Premium LE units remain readily available for purchase, suggesting cautious consumer sentiment or waning interest — _Direct observation of market availability; used as evidence that 'people are being cautious' or 'starting to wise up'_
- [HIGH] The current animation code for Stranger Things Premium is very bare, with majority of ramps showing bare white with minimal 'ooh, ah' worthy effects — _Based on Deadflip stream footage; Hardy explicitly states 'The current code for animations is very bare'_
- [HIGH] The two primary Premium vs Pro differentiators are the projector and the telekinesis magnet at the rear of the game — _Hardy identifies these as 'the two primary differences between the Premium and the Pro'_
- [MEDIUM] If Stranger Things Premium doesn't sell well, a rumored upcoming title from Stern may release sooner than expected — _Hardy speculation: 'if the game doesn't sell as well as they would like it to, then we may be seeing that rumored title sooner than we think' — indicates community awareness of unannounced Stern game_
- [HIGH] Projector visibility is fundamentally dependent on environment/lighting conditions — _Hardy notes this was an 'immediate given once we heard that it was going to be a projector' and a universal community concern_

### Notable Quotes

> "Stern cannot make everyone happy. They can't. It's impossible. But just because you have purchased a game doesn't mean that you have to blast those that disagree with how you feel about it just to justify your purchase."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, early in video
> _Articulates community tension between Stern loyalists and skeptics; addresses defensive purchasing behavior as a broader phenomenon_

> "This game needs work. Your projector visibility is obviously determined by your environment, and that was an immediate given."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, mid-video
> _Core critique of Stranger Things Premium's core mechanic dependency on external factors_

> "The current code for animations is very bare. The ramps were majority of the time just bare white."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, mid-video
> _Specific technical criticism of incomplete animation work visible in stream_

> "I neither impressed or excited about this game I'm content because it's exactly what I expected it to be."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, early-mid video
> _Sets tone: manages expectations, implies prior skepticism about game's direction_

> "There's just so many things i feel like they could have done with this machine there's things that they could do right now that i feel could be implemented with adjustments in code."
> — **Carrie Hardy**, late-video
> _Suggests design/code opportunities missed; implies current implementation is not optimized_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Carrie Hardy | person | Pinball content creator and YouTuber providing critical analysis of Stranger Things Premium based on Deadflip stream footage; known for live streams, gameplay commentary, and detailed machine critiques |
| Stranger Things Premium | product | Recently revealed Stern Pinball premium-tier game featuring projector technology and telekinesis magnet; subject of Deadflip stream; LE units reportedly still available on market |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Stranger Things Premium; Hardy references 'Stern Army' community and speculates about future unannounced releases from the company |
| Deadflip | person/channel | Content creator/streamer who conducted the Stranger Things Premium reveal stream that Carrie Hardy is responding to; associated with Stern Pinball coverage |
| Stranger Things | game | Original Stranger Things pinball (Pro/Premium editions); Premium Edition is focus of this analysis; LE edition also exists and reportedly still in inventory |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Stranger Things Premium Edition - Projector Technology & Animation Code Quality, Premium vs Pro Model Differentiation & Value Proposition
- **Secondary:** Community Sentiment & Purchasing Defensiveness, Stern Pinball Sales Performance & Market Inventory Levels
- **Mentioned:** Unreleased/Rumored Stern Game Pipeline

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.65) — Hardy is cautious and skeptical about Stranger Things Premium. She explicitly states she is 'neither impressed or excited' and frames the game as needing work. However, she maintains a respectful tone, clarifies she hasn't played it, and emphasizes she respects others' purchasing choices. The negativity is tempered by acknowledgment that code is incomplete and potential for improvement.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Growing tension within Stern Army community between defensive purchasers and critical analysts; players justifying purchases by dismissing dissenting opinions (confidence: medium) — Hardy's disclaimer: 'just because you have purchased a game doesn't mean that you have to blast those that disagree with how you feel about it just to justify your purchase'
- **[design_philosophy]** Stranger Things Premium animation code is incomplete with majority of ramps showing bare white graphics rather than meaningful visual effects; limited differentiators between Premium and Pro tiers beyond projector and rear magnet (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'The current code for animations is very bare. The ramps were majority of the time just bare white. And whenever they did show something, it wasn't, you know, something I feel that was like, ooh, ah, worthy.'
- **[market_signal]** Stranger Things LE units remain readily available in inventory despite premium positioning; potential indicator of cautious consumer sentiment or demand plateau (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'when you are still readily available to purchase an LE, I mean that's got to say something whenever you haven't sold out of your LEs even to this day'
- **[product_strategy]** Premium tier lacks sufficient differentiators from Pro model beyond projector and rear magnet; insufficient to justify premium pricing given incomplete code state (confidence: medium) — Hardy questions: 'With those two things is that enough to save this game?' in context of LE units still in stock
- **[sentiment_shift]** Community skepticism about Stranger Things Premium growing as reveal footage shows incomplete code and raises questions about value justification (confidence: medium) — Hardy notes multiple podcasters share similar critical perspectives and suggests LE availability may indicate people 'starting to wise up and realize that this game doesn't have that much in it'
- **[technology_signal]** Projector-based gameplay mechanic's viability and visibility highly dependent on installation environment and lighting conditions, creating variable user experience (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'Your projector visibility is obviously determined by your environment, and that was an immediate given once we heard that it was going to be a projector'

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## Transcript

what's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball so that sounds interesting to you then hit that subscribe button down below dead flip stream for stranger things premium edition just came to an end and i thought i'd give my opinions on it i'm gonna make this short for everyone but before i do i need to preface my opinions with a disclaimer i have not played this game these thoughts are solely based upon the stream footage from dead flip if you currently own this game or plan to own it, I'm fine with that. You do you. But I want those of you that are part of the Stern army to take a step back and realize that Stern cannot make everyone happy. They can't. It's impossible. But just because you have purchased a game doesn mean that you have to blast those that disagree with how you feel about it just to justify your purchase With that being said I neither impressed or excited about this game I'm content because it's exactly what I expected it to be. In a nutshell, this game needs work. Your projector visibility is obviously determined by your environment, and that was an immediate given once we heard that it was going to be a projector. And that was everyone's question whenever the game was announced and even shown was how was it going to be in lighting. The current code for animations is very bare. The ramps were majority of the time just bare white. And whenever they did show something, it wasn't, you know, something I feel that was like, ooh, ah, worthy. And I know the code is not done yet. And that is going to be everyone's defense, like I said in my previous Stranger Things video is that, yes, I know the code is not done. And props to you guys that feel like the code is going to save this game. So along with code that not complete the two primary differences between the Premium and the Pro is the projector and the telekinesis magnet towards the rear of the game Now with those two things is that enough to save this game And then when I say save, am I saying that the game is a failure? I'm not saying the game is a failure, but when you are still readily available to purchase an LE, I mean that's got to say something whenever you haven't sold out of your LEs even to this day. I would hope that that is a sign that maybe people are being cautious and they're waiting to see how the projector looks before taking that plunge. But maybe chances are people are starting to wise up and realize that this game doesn't have that much in it. But like I said I was going to keep it short and simple. Those are just my quick thoughts on the premium version with the projector I'm pretty much done talking about this game everyone the I just there's not much else to say make that I've already said it as well as many other podcasters we have all have our thoughts and opinions about this game I pretty much done with it I mean I more than likely won do any more content related to this game until i actually play it and maybe when i play it who knows i may actually like this game there's just so many things i feel like they could have done with this machine there's things that they could do right now that i feel could be implemented with adjustments in code but i'm honestly more interested in what is to come from stern and chances are if the game doesn't sell as well as they would like it to, then we may be seeing that rumored title sooner than we think. I plan on doing a video about this game in the future, and we'll discuss that maybe down the road. Did you watch the Deadflip stream on the Premium Edition? If you did, let me know what you think about the game down below. If you haven't already, do not forget to hit the subscribe button down below. That way you can be notified whenever I upload something for your viewing pleasure. Until next time, guys. Peace out.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 837e7b27-cb6b-450c-867a-b296e903fac9*