Once upon a time, even the most unlikely of movies would get licenced video games. While that practice has mercifully died out recently, we're well up for this 8-bit interpretation of Martin McDonagh’s acclaimed film The Banshees of Inisherin.
Developed by the Dublin-based Cogs & Marvel, this web browser game sees players take control of Colm (Brendan Gleeson) as he navigates a maze collecting his severed fingers whilst trying to escape the unwanted attention of his former friend Pádraic (played in the movie by Colin Farrel). As the game progresses, more characters are introduced to the maze, including Dominic (Barry Keoghan) and the local police.
Cogs & Marvel's creative director Jon Hozier-Byrne says the agency was excited by the idea of transforming a “complex story in the simplest narrative form," and the timing with St Patrick's Day is totally intentional.
"St Patrick’s Day, like the film which inspired us, is an exploration of Irish socio-cultural identity," says Hozier-Byrne. "For one day a year, political and historical baggage is cast aside, leaving only bright green hats and drinking. We wanted to apply the same kind of dramatic over-simplification to such rich cultural material. There was something really fun about taking such a dark, atmospheric piece of storytelling and representing it through the saturated optics of retro gaming. That juxtaposition is very entertaining to me."
Thanks to Daniel Hutchings for the tip!