Small Radios Big Televisions is a surreal indie game that I discovered amongst the IGF entrants in 2015 and have been patiently waiting to hear and see more of ever since. At the time it was a simple web-based prototype but its striking visual style and trippy ambiance was already well established. After much silence the game has emerged again ahead of its November 8th release date on Steam and PlayStation 4 with a new trailer and a soundtrack pre-order.
Like an abstract point-and-click adventure, the game has you mousing around factories in an abandoned sky-world in search of analog cassette tapes. When played back in your TD-525 device they transport you to surreal virtual worlds where you soon discover new ways to manipulate and explore the spaces.
As you might expect the soundscapes that accompany this mish-mash of future tech and retro aesthetics is heavy on distortion and synthwave. There were already some great things to be heard in the prototype (still playable) but if the sample track, “Tundra”, above is any indication then the full score is much more nuanced. It has that airy, synth ambiance I loved in Fez and PONCHO and I can’t wait to hear the remaining 23 tracks on the album. You can pre-order the album now for $5 on Bandcamp. Full price on launch, and the price for the game itself, have yet to be announced.
