There is something about the Blippo+ that makes me feel giddy. I felt it the first time I saw the first teaser back in December, and I’ve been very curious since then. Today, at the PC Gaming Show, Panic, YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, and Noble Robot dropped a brand new trailer that finally makes sense of that first teaser! Blippo+ is a live-action cable TV simulator. It is 1-bit black-and-white on Playdate now, while a technicolour version will launch for PC and Nintendo Switch later this year.
When I say Blippo+ is nostalgic art, it’s because television used to be an art form to me. I knew when and where I could watch all my favourite shows from a remarkably young age. One of my earlier babysitters called me the human TV Guide, and that nickname has stuck for 30 years despite that era of television being over. Combine that with FMV magic and surreal shows and channels, and BOOM! Nostalgic art! This is one of the very few times that I feel like a game was made for me personally. (I only hope playing the game can fulfill my hopes for it.)
Panic describes Blippo+ as “a wholly original channel-surfing experience filled with soaps, sitcoms, news, weather, and talk shows.” It was made with vintage analog broadcast equipment and a cast of over 100 actors, comedians, performers, and artists. Players get to flip through the linear broadcast, browse the robust program guide, mess with the television settings and lurk Femtofax videotext forums to unravel the planet-shaking narrative unfolding over the airwaves of Planet Blip. No big deal.
Blippo+ was a surprise drop for Panic players on May 29, as part of its Season 2. Entirely made for Playdate, it features 1-bit dithered video. An entirely new slate of video replaces that last every Thursday at 10 a.m. PT for 11 weeks, then cycles repeatedly. Its PC and Nintendo Switch versions are a bit different, and that’s referring to more than just the jump to technicolour glory. There is a time-hopping mechanic that allows players to travel back and forth through the weeks of TV programming while still retaining the magic of non-demand linear viewing.
From Panic, Blippo+’s features include:
- 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.
Developed by YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, and Noble Robot, and published by Panic, Blippo+ is available now for Playdate. It will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch this (Northern) fall.
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