Australian Comedian John Robertson released The Dark Room on Youtube four years ago and in that time it has become a cult hit with the initial video clocking up over 467,000 views, an app in development and a live show based on the game touring globally.
Now Robertson has decided his notoriously harsh magnum opus is in need of a reboot. Releasing new episodes weekly. On the differences between the old dark room and the reboot, Robertson said:
“We didn’t want it to be a Mega CD update of an old Megadrive game.
The old Dark Room was a parody of old text based adventure games so it was just deliberately cruel. But when people start really getting into it, by the time they hit level two it has become a proper game.
This was me going The live show is still a parody of text adventures but that’s playable and winnable so people really get into it. So four years later can you make a game that is still funny and it’s still cruel but it’s still a proper game. Not just designed to annoy you like the original game was but designed to hurt you while it’s dragging you in.
Also four more years of experience in S&M Really… When you find yourself in bed with somebody explaining that treated them badly because it’s going to feel a whole lot better in a few moments when you treat them well and then they look at you and they go “you’re such a nice man” It really works, people enjoy it.
What’s weird is depending on how you play in the new one From the first one you can get quite far without much danger of death but if you press the wrong button early on you walk into a spike and it kills you. You can also die on the character select screen. Some guys have to click everything, they absolutely have to know what every path is and so those guys end up dead. Some people click whatever takes their fancy and those guys end up dead. Some people just luck their way into a pretty long sequence and they think “Oh it isn’t as harsh as it used to be. Oh it is, just not there.” Congratulations, you’ve played the game correctly and it’s not hurting you. Because it will. I want people to try and find the story this time, that would be nice.
Even your Dark Souls, that’s a game where you have to piece together the story yourself. Even though it’s difficult you learn to adapt and if you adapt you’re going to have a great game.”
Although the reboot has been a bit slow to take off, Robertson remains confident it will find its feet eventually:
“In the four years since the original while viral content is not dead on Youtube it sure is being produced by every cunt now isn’t it. You’ve got massive companies who are actually getting a bit savvy in the four years since I had my big hit and now so much of youtube is actually operating like a tv channel
I realised it was just going to be more sustainable, more of a promise as well. The numbers, they’re not great right now but it’ll change. As long as it goes episodic we’ll get them eventually
It doesn’t happen right now we just need something like 99 levels then it can do the work while I sleep”
Also four more years of experience in S&M Really… When you find yourself in bed with somebody explaining that treated them badly because it's going to feel a whole lot better in a few moments when you treat them well...
There seems to be a lot of cause for optimism as The Dark Room's influence seems to have penetrated celebrity circles as well as drawing members of its core fanbase back in.
"Romesh Ranganathan came up to me at a gig “That Dark Room’s really good, I ran into a spike" That’s great, it means he’s playing the new one.
I know some people are playing because when they do play and comments start appearing it all comes to my email so I look up from my phone and scream out to my wife: “Baby the rats are in the maze.” because I can see what’s happening, which is cool.”
Robertson also believes the episodic nature of the new Dark Room will suit his style of work better:
“I don’t want to say it’s community building, but it’s an investment doing it weekly
I always thought that Hunter Thompson loaded himself up on drugs wrote a load of shit and sent it out because that’s everything he ever said he used to do. Now I won’t load myself up on drugs it’s a total waste of time, but I read an interview with him where he said: I’ll write letters in the morning just to warm up and I’m like what fuck do you mean warm up, fuck you. But when you find yourself saying I’m going to write like 80 vignettes then I’m going to edit them and you’re not tired by the time it’s done then you’re like I’m gonna write these TV scripts, then I’m gonna do this. So I dunno there’s a weird lifestyle change as well.
It’s actually good. If I don’t have anything on, at all, there isn’t money on the line and I haven’t told anybody I’m going to do something, I’ll do fuck all. I’ll just do nothing. Like “Fringe is on in a bit. I’m like, ahhh, yeah, I’ll just show up.”
The new Youtube version of the Dark Room can be played here. The live version of the Dark Room is also touring; The Dark Room’s live dates can be found here
