Blippo+ Review: A Truly Unique Gaming Experience
▼ Summary
– Blippo+ simulates late ’80s/early ’90s TV channel-surfing by presenting a collection of live-action skits as perpetually cycling alien programming.
– The game’s premise involves players intercepting TV signals from an alien world called Blip, whose inhabitants and shows have a quirky, extraterrestrial twist.
– Content is delivered differently by platform: weekly updates on Playdate to foster community discussion, while Steam/Switch versions unlock content progressively as you watch.
– Blippo+ effectively recreates nostalgic TV elements like a TV Guide channel and the experience of missing shows by not watching in real time.
– The experience is more of an interactive simulation than a traditional game, targeting a niche audience with its dry humor and unique, art-school-project vibe.
Blippo+ offers a truly unique gaming experience that defies conventional categorization. Available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and the distinctive Playdate handheld, this title simulates the peculiar ritual of channel-surfing through late-80s/early-90s cable television. While younger players might find the concept foreign, it delivers a strangely compelling time capsule for those who remember flipping through channels with nothing but a remote and curiosity.
The game presents itself as a collection of live-action skits designed to mimic a cable package from another world. Upon starting, it performs a channel scan reminiscent of older television sets, eventually revealing about a dozen stations. The programming unfolds in real time, creating an experience far removed from modern on-demand streaming services. You simply watch whatever happens to be airing, with each show lasting just a few minutes before cycling to the next segment.
Set on an alien planet called Blip, the premise casts you as someone who has intercepted extraterrestrial broadcasts. The inhabitants resemble humans but sport fashion that blends Clinton-era clothing with distinctly otherworldly hairstyles and makeup. Their television content proves equally bizarre, featuring cooking shows with unearthly vegetables, mystical horoscope programs hosted by a three-eyed woman, and news segments that gradually acknowledge your presence as an off-world viewer.
The Playdate version cleverly integrates with the device’s unique identity, presenting the handheld as the ubiquitous “PeeDee” device used by Blip’s residents. While the communal aspect of weekly content drops works best on that platform, the Steam and Switch versions compensate by unlocking new material as you watch, roughly every thirty to forty minutes. This approach allows PC and console players to catch up with the narrative that Playdate users have been following for months.
One of the most effective features is the TV Guide channel, which perfectly captures the nostalgic experience of scrolling through program listings with filler music and narration. The entire presentation filters through a distinctly 1990s aesthetic, pre-high definition with noticeably muted colors that enhance the period authenticity.
The content itself carries a consistent tone of dry, theatrical humor that will likely appeal most to former theater kids. While the shows generally avoid taking themselves seriously, this singular approach can make the programming feel somewhat homogenous over extended viewing sessions. The real charm emerges through indirect parodies of Earth television genres rather than specific shows. A Bill Nye-esque scientist interviews a brain in a jar, a Doctor Who-like series called “Werf’s Tavern” appears in reviews, and the porn channel “Zest” humorously recreates the scrambled signal experience accompanied by saxophone music.
Blippo+ functions more as an interactive art installation than a traditional game, evoking the feeling of an ambitious art school project that found a wider audience. Its DIY charm and shoestring budget create something genuinely laudable, though its appeal remains niche. For the right viewer, it can provoke a strange sense of homesickness for a world that never existed, while others may simply find it confusing. Ultimately, it stands as a peculiar time capsule that faithfully recreates the passive yet oddly engaging experience of 90s television watching.
(Source: Gamespot)
