The Playdate channel surfing game has had it’s time on the compact handheld and is now arriving in full 1990s colour.
My first experience with an FMV (full motion video) game was in an amusement arcade in the mid-1990s. It was, inevitably (if we’re discounting the earlier Dragon’s Lair which is essentially the same technology), Mad Dog McCree.
This was a shooting game that suffered from quite a bit of physical abuse from players. I’m not sure if this affected its responsiveness, but let’s just say some of the scenes were a bit jumpy and prone to skipping. More recent FMV games have largely passed me by, with the outstanding exception of Contradiction on mobile and PC.
Blippo+ is a new FMV that has already been released in a very lo-fi form on Playdate, but is now heading for a release on PC (on Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
(Incidentally, it is currently airing in 1-bit glory as part of Playdate Season 2, and will soon be released as a standalone game on Playdate’s digital store, Catalog.)
Here’s the trailer:
As you can see, it looks pretty unlike anything you’ve seen… well, since the 1990s, at least.
Who is behind Blippo+?
Publisher Panic, working with YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, and Dustin Mierau, are launching Blippo+ on PC and Nintendo Switch on September 23. Here’s the synopsis:
Congratulations! Blippo+ is now available in your area.
Blippo+ is a live-action, new wave, off-cable TV simulator. Channel-surf the stars and discover the staticky, radical world of Planet Blip through its soaps, sitcoms, news, weather, and talk shows. But don’t touch that remote—because everything’s about to get bent.
Planet Blip is brought to life through a cast of lovable characters, vibrant costumes and makeup, original music, extensive lore, and writing that pays homage to the offbeat, idiosyncratic, and often-forgotten margins of TV history, from pirate television and cable access to public broadcasting and video art. Whether you’re a punk, new waver, sproinger or a bender: there’s something for you on Blippo+.
So, the game is basically an FMV that lets you explore various off-the-wall channels and piece together an intergalactic mystery. It’s silly, camp, funny… like TV used to be, and features:
- Channel-surf your way through a wide variety of funny, freaky, and wholly original live-action programs on the Blippo+ Electronic Program Guide!
- Fall in love with a diverse cast of alien TV personalities, from cloned soap opera stars and spooky raconteurs to mad professors, quizmasters, scientists, and action sheroes.
- Immersive yourself in Blippo+ to unlock data packettes, update the Electronic Program Guide with new episodes and messages, and piece together the planet-shaking story unfolding between the channels.
- Expand your knowledge of Blippian culture by lurking the Femtofax “videotext” forums.
- Fiddle with extensive TV settings to personalize your Blippo+ experience.
- Enjoy a genre-spanning original soundtrack by Grammy-nominated composers Rob Kieswetter and Jona Bechtolt of YACHT.
You can wishlist Blippo+ on Steam now, and learn more (and keep an eye on the Nintendo Switch launch details) on the Blippo+ website.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
