Before we continue exploring the nostalgic and dark worlds of Tamagotchi and Black Mirror, I am obliged to inform you, the reader, that this review will contain spoilers for Black Mirror Episode 04, Plaything, from Season 7.
Ok, now that’s out of the way, let’s begin.
Black Mirror has always found a way to relate to its viewers, no matter the episode’s content. Plaything specifically hits home for us at NAG because it revolves around a writer for a PC gaming magazine in the 90s who is selected to review the latest game from some hot-shot developer.
The game in question is Thronglets, a game that’s not really a game. Colin Ritman, the hotshot developer behind Thronglets and Bandersnatch, says it is evolutionary—think Lemmings but with the ability to learn, adapt, and grow.
While reviewing the game, Cameron Walker becomes obsessed with making sure his world of Thronglets survives, and using hallucinogens establishes a form of communication. He attaches a camera for the Thronglets to see the human world and a microphone so the Thronglets can hear his responses.
During an altercation in Walker’s room, the Thronglets witness a murder and the cruel, violent tendencies humans exhibit in their daily lives. This activates a goal within the Throng to teach humans how to evolve from their prehistoric ways and develop a future where peace is prime.
The episode ends with the Thronglets taking over a government computer and emitting a signal that alters all human thought. Every human falls to the ground, and what the future now holds is left up to the viewer’s imagination.
It’s a dark and thought-provoking episode, as all Black Mirror episodes are, but it doesn’t quite end there.
You can download Thronglets onto your own iOS or Android device, or even in your web browser when Netflix gets their developers in order.
The game starts off as a simple Tamagotchi-like experience as you feed, entertain and wash your horde of ever-growing Thronglets. However, everything you do, from throwing apples to watching your Thronglets die, is recorded in the Throngs’ memory, and they learn from and about you. They learn that you favour death. They learn that you throw things into the void. They learn that you don’t always listen.
The game starts getting more sinister as your Thronglets evolve through this interesting choose-your-own-adventure experience, and how the experience pans out is uniquely yours.
The game picks up the pace quite quickly, too, as the Thronglets exponentially replicate into more and more of themselves, becoming this chaotic hive mind of needs. Sure, the Thronglets offer you better tools to help care for them as time progresses, but it never feels enough and always has you actively pursuing smarter ways to build housing, theatres and apple trees.
Currently, I’m sweating through hours of gameplay trying to keep as many of my little Thronglets from dying, while sneakily trying to toss dead bodies into the river without anyone noticing.
But they know. I can see it in their tiny, pixelated eyes.
If you are looking for a sinister, interesting take on the virtual pet simulation genre. Do yourself a favour and watch the Plaything episode from Black Mirror’s latest season. Then, instantly download the game to your phone and see how well you fare as leader of the Throng.
For as long as you can stay their leader, that is.
