Review: Bandersnatch

Bandersnatch is a very interesting experience that I’m glad to have played, especially within the context of the class. While there were some aspects I wasn’t thrilled with, I thought it was generally enjoyable.

First off, the Eighties. I love the setting, and they did a good job making the game feel very period. The music, the cars, Tuckersoft, the record store shopping list with The Cure, all of it contributed to the setting and was very enjoyable, even though it isn’t the main focus of the story.

I will have to admit that after playing through a few times, I cheated and looked up whether it was possible to have a positive outcome. Spoiler, it does not. The happiest endings you can have are either your game failing and not going insane, or murdering your father and publishing a five star game, only for the game to be pulled when the murder is uncovered. Both of these endings are, all things considered, not really “happy” endings.

When playing through the game I intentionally picked choices opposite to what we picked in class just to find out how different of a game experience I would get. From what I can tell from this, Bandersnatch is essentially a gauntlet style story with a couple of longer tangents on the side. The authors do a good job of making even wrong choices interesting. I had a scenario in particular where the player breaks the fourth wall by communicating through a computer, which resulted in a dramatic, action movie style fight scene with the therapist and Stefan’s dad.

The game is also interesting in the way it makes you curious to play through multiple times. Some decisions have seemingly no effect when you choose them, but have surprisingly different outcomes later, and some decisions are false, such as one option where I was prompted to spill tea on Stefan’s computer. Selecting the option doesn’t actually result in him doing it in one instance, but it can appear in multiple different scenarios, and it’s intriguing to see if it actually has a different result in those other scenarios.

One criticism I have of the game is that there are no real relief points where the game is even slightly humorous. In all but a few cases that I experienced, the only way to progress successfully is to pick the most fucked up option that feeds into worsening Stefan’s mental state. Any time you pick an option that seems sensible, such as taking your prescription, you’re punished by skipping to an ending where your game posts poor reviews and you have to restart.

Placement wise in the course, I think it was also good to end with Bandersnatch. This game very clearly embodies the message presented in The Garden of Forking Paths, our first reading assignment of the semester. I had never played Bandersnatch before this class, and I know I got more out of it because of this class. It’s also interesting to see the concept of our first reading proliferate into popular culture.