Blippo+ Review

Don’t Doomscroll! Channel Surf Instead!

HIGH Great production values and an ’80s MTV aesthetic.

LOW Writing that reminded me how old I am.

WTF Classic channel scrambling from the ’80s and ’90s is here, too.

Back when I was a kid in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I’d watch a lot of TV via cable, antenna, and satellite, depending on where I was living at the time. During this era, there were a number of weird and unusual shows that would always catch my eye, and that experimental vibe is what attracted me to Blippo+. It reminded me of this bygone and, frankly, halcyon era of absolutely bonkers TV.

Plainly put, Blippo+ is a full-motion video (FMV) intergalactic cable simulator — and yes, that’s a mouthful. As such, it’s not really a game in the traditional sense, but what’s here is still incredibly fascinating and entertaining to watch. Originally released as a Playdate console exclusive, what makes this new version unique is that it’s now in color, which the PlayDate is incapable of displaying.

There are a variety of channels and shows to watch on this fictional TV service. There are talk shows, science discussions (with brains in jars), psychic weather reports, kids TV, and so much more. Every program is on in real time, so just like watching TV back in the days before on-demand streaming, if something was missed, the only solution was to wait for it to repeat later. Thankfully, each channel only has about five minutes of content, so I never had to wait long to catch a show I was interested in.

The production values are out of this world, and it’s evident that the team behind this project put a lot of effort into Blippo+, even going so far as to use analog cameras, costumes and the like to give the shows a period-distinct appearance that will be familiar to anyone old enough to recall the late ’80s and early ’90s. It carries a lot of nostalgia for me, as that era of TV was commonly experimental and weird.

For example, Boredome and Party Music Nonstop really made think about classic MTV shows. Countertop kind of reminded me of old sitcoms, but not necessarily any specific one. Each show was definitely influenced by something from American TV shows of the past, and it was such a lovely trip down memory lane. And I loved almost everything that was on each channel.

I think some of my favorite shows were things like Quizzards, a game show blended together with a Dungeons & Dragons session. Or Realms Beyond, which was an often comical minute-long take on The Twilight Zone. There was even a funny version of General Hospital, called Clone Trois, with clones taking on various roles, all played by the same actress.

I think the best show was Bushwalker, a peaceful hiking simulation with a knife and axe in each hand for some reason. The Exquisite Telethon, a literary experiment read by the host, and fueled by callers to the show, was also excellent.

Oh, and for anyone wondering if there’s a story surrounding all of this — don’t worry, there is. The narrative is told piecemeal over time, which is a great way to tell it, and it made me feel a bit like a character as well.

Blippo+ definitely evoked the nostalgic feeling of channel surfing on the kind of weird, risky old school TV before all the buyouts and mergers happened. There aren’t many problems with the experience overall, though there were a couple of minor grievances I had.

One program was the same dance through different camera angles, which needed more variation. Another was a channel with an AI character slowly going insane, and the Max Headroom-like character was a bit grating. I also wish that there had been a few more shows per channel. I guess wanting more isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I was always craving more to watch — five minutes always felt a bit short.

While Blippo+ isn’t a traditional video game, it’s still a great fit for gaming platforms. The programs are funny, and they expertly riff on the shows they parody. With the era of TV it evokes moving further and further into the past, it’s a nice reminder of what TV, video games, and all manner of entertainment can and should be — weird, and not afraid of trying something different.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Buy Blippo+ – Steam – itch.io – Nintendo

Disclosures: This game is developed by YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, and Noble Robot and published by Panic. It is currently available on Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PC. Approximately 6 hours were devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of T for Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence. Most of the sexual themes are innuendo, particularly the Zest “adult” channel, which is completely scrambled, save for the credits version, and even that isn’t all that sexual.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles in the form of closed captioning for the programming. (See examples above.) Subtitles cannot be resized. This game is not fully accessible, as the captions were small to read at times. Similar issues were found with the program notes that appear on-screen when a new program starts or when switching channels.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

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