Tired of politics invading every waking moment with its droning idiocy and vexing portmaneaus? Best click away to look at some new Joy-Con colours or find out the release date of Luigi's Mansion 3, then. Not Tonight: Take Back Control Edition is a British deep dive into a Black Mirror-esque dystopian future (minus the cool tech stuff) and it's coming to Switch soon.
Taking a particularly bleak view of the post-Brexit future, a far-right extremist government has exiled all citizens of European heritage (themselves excluded, presumably) and, taking up a job as a bouncer, it's up to you to survive as best you can in the land that was once green and, indeed, pleasant. The Switch edition of PanicBarn's game will include the brand new One Love DLC.
Looking like a nightmarish mixture of a Lucasarts adventure game and Papers Please, the pixel aesthetic of the above trailer certainly looks pretty, as do these screenshots:
The game released to generally positive reviews on PC back in August 2018 and the Switch version will be the first offering from publisher No More Robots on Nintendo's system, scheduled to arrive 'within the next few months'. Assuming we're all still here by then and we're not living the game, this may well be worth checking out.
Prefer it when video games stick to good ol' running and jumping? Have you played this on PC? Let us know how you got on with it below.
Comments 75
Maybe for the sequel they can tackle the Trump administration? xD
That's not going to age well as a video game.
As someone who never shuts up about Brexit, this sounds like it was tailor made for me 😂😂
Yes! President Trump can get over here and fix our country like he has the US!
I bet this will sell well......😂
They could make a classic arcade game out of me importing everything I could afford from Axminster that day the £ tanked. 😁
Yeah, this one was pretty good. I'm always wary of political video games as sometimes they maybe cash in a bit on the controversy. Then again, dystopia's within reaching distance so it's relatively easy to make a plausible setting.
Is there a bus with lies on the side?
And a Ex Banker pretending to be hero of the common man? Can you unlock a bumbling ex mayor?
I’m not sure even this dystopian nightmare will realistically portray the correct level of xenophobia for it to be realistic
@mist As an American, I can tell you we're heading in exactly the same direction. It might take us longer to get there but we're slowly reaching the long-awaited sequel to the Great Depression.
Oh God! Been hearing about it for the last 4 years and now it's in video games that I use for escapism.
This is what remainers actually believe will happen to Britain when we leave the EU.
@Totaldude911 I have a feeling Mist was making sarcastic comment.
@mist As an American, trust me: you don't want him.
You think you do, but trust me - it just isn't worth it.
Honestly, I think the devs are blowing Brexit way outta proportion here. Yeah, it's gonna suck and the economy's gonna tank... but I don't think that the country that withstood five years of Nazi bombing runs is gonna collapse due to sone political broo-hah-hah.
(Then again, I'm American, so what do I know?)
Wow. For a video game about Britain it’s impressive that Donald Trump was mentioned so quickly. In the first comment even. I don’t think there has ever been someone that this many people think about this often. It’s a worldwide obsession.
Because everything has to be all politics, all the time now.
Bring on those downvotes.
Funny how all those complaining about politics in gaming are only doing it when it’s politics they disagree with. And they complain about SJWs affects on the industry.
@MarioFan02 you’d think after all these years they’d been able to make it on their own. They used to be a really powerful nation years and years ago
@Yorumi Well, that's the point, though. The devs aren't going for that. They want to be influencers. So of course the direction will be about trying to influence people.
@MarioFan02 I'm not sure it's a question of us pulling through, it's a question of the human cost of Brexit. When we can just continue business as usual, is it really worth all the uncertainty and divisiveness? If you're really that interested, read up on Universal Credit and the people being made homeless. It's amazing what dodgy stuff can pass while the public's head is turned.
@Indominus_B Don’t like it don’t play it. It’s not like they’re hiding their agendas here.
How incredibly edgy
MOST people won’t buy this game, just like MOST people voted to leave the EU. Welcome to democracy.
Guys, let's face it. Everyone with an internet connection is a "social justice warrior". The only difference is their definition of justice.
Honestly, I think saying "get politics out of video games" is just a reductive view of gaming that's cut from the same cloth as the 1993 Senate hearings. It implies that they should only ever be cartoony, thoughtless button pressing for babies. No one would ever say "get politics out of film" or "get politics out of literature", unless they were a crazy person.
As for ideas you disagree with invading your entertainment, practice what other anti-PC people preach. Ignore it and stop whining.
Haha this game is embarrassing.
Some of you need to spend a little less time on 4chan and maybe stop using your special edition steelbooks as tinfoil hats altogether
@Majora101 lol k dude. Keep fighting that good fight.
Wow, sure seems like a lot of people willingly and knowingly clicked an article about an openly politically-themed game just to complain about politics (that they disagree with) "being shoved in [their] face everywhere."
Imagine if all the amazon comments on 1984 were "well, I read books to escape, so I just don't see why he had to go and make it political. Frankly I think Orwell's fictionalized dystopian future is just a hysterical overreaction that fails to acknowledge both sides of the issue." Like, chill. There still is and always will be plenty of "apolitical" media out there for you to consume.
The real irony is probably that these complaints are coming from the same kind of people who accuse others of being sensitive snowflakes who need a safe space because they can't cope with views that disagree with them.
@CarpeDiem Isn't it a bit rich to say that but ignore the fact that Parliament is the exact same thing? Our choice of leader is rich white man or rich white man, although the only two women we've had are possibly 2 of the worst PMs in history. Essentially all forms of government are ruled by the elite, it's a bit silly to expect anything else. My personal opinion is that I would like to leave the UK but remain in the EU as I feel that my devolved Parliament have done more to help me than any of the PMs have done. I respect others opinions but I certainly don't agree with them.
@Majora101 wee-ooo wee-ooo, grammar police and joke police everybody! Just don’t call them fascists haha
@CarpeDiem At the end of the day, I can see tangible everyday benefits from remaining in the EU. I just don't see the extra money (certainly not as much as was advertised on a bus) going anywhere except straight into the upper class' pockets. The tax cuts already proposed for higher earners just seems counter-intuitive. I don't disagree about the ridiculous bureaucratic side of the EU but I think I'd just rather take my chances on them than let the UK Parliament get away with even more without the Courts of Justice having jurisdiction.
@Majora101 how about “definitely not a 4chan conspiracy theorist”? That should give everyone a good chuckle.
A bit like Monkey Island crossed with Papers, Please--a shame that it's utterly absurd in tone.
I wonder what a video game consulted upon by Sir Roger Scruton would look like...
@Majora101 oof, tough crowd. No wonder there’s so few conservative comedians.
@CarpeDiem It's more that while Parliament has plenty politicians that represent multicultural Britain at its best, they're rarely in positions of power. It seems to be rather difficult to be an Old Etonian and not end up in a powerful position. I can fully respect people that voted Leave because they feel dissatisfied with the bureaucratic nature of the EU, the problem is more that the loudest voices were the racists, village idiots and the like. It's the same on all sides, rational argument falls to the wayside as the loud idiots shout over the top. I have my own problems with the elite using their Remain position as brownie points and pretending they suddenly care about the downtrodden. Here's hoping it works out in the end, even if you don't get the Brexit you wanted or if I'm dragged out of the EU against the will of my country. Plenty of people throughout history stood against decisions that proved beneficial, or supported decisions that proved fatal.
@CarpeDiem It's a saying..? I'm not literally stating that people from villages are idiots, it's that every person and their dog has an opinion on Brexit and its usually that the loudest ones are the ones least worth listening to.
@CarpeDiem
Village idiot is an established term meaning "the resident dumb guy in town". Someone known around the village for being dumb, in the same way "the town drunk" is the guy everyone knows is always drunk.
Most people wouldn't read that comment and think it's a general insult referring to all non-city people. That you saw that and immediately jumped to contempt probably says more about you than the original commentor. Sorta makes it look like you've just got a chip on your shoulder and were looking for the earliest opportunity to "stop being diplomatic" and call it a win. As certain people are so fond of saying, offense is taken, not given.
I understand this was news that is technically based on a video game, but one look at the comments section made me realize that this site is one of my few escapes from politics in general, which is just such a divisive minefield nowadays. I can’t look at the news for more than a few minutes without wanting to vomit, especially when I read the comments section of anything.
The left wing and right wing are just two wings of the same horrible bird. I hate it all.
Hooo boy this thread got murky quick.
Turns out leaving the Extended Universe is harder then you'd think
Jesus jumpin' christ -_-
@Majora101 nailed it. Any question at all to the leftist ideology is met with accusations of all the “ism’s” and statements of privilege. I guess I am privileged, I’d rather try to think critically than subscribe to what a group teaches me to think.
Don't want to take my country back, I want to take my country forward. Enter Shikari <3
Never mind me, I'm just here for the comments.
@Majora101 @hillyarb lol leave some kool-aid for the rest of us you guys
Using games for escapism from politics I feel is less common than I thought
@Majora101 that one wasn’t a joke.
You can’t open with “the left are evil cult globalists hell-bent on destroying dissent of any form!”, then complain about the lack of a middle ground/civil discourse, and still expect to be taken seriously. You’re definitely going to get some silly comments.
Something something Trump bad, something something Brexit bad. I can already tell this comment thread is about to get......interesting.
But in all honesty, why does it seem that politics must be in everything nowadays?
Ah, another post exciting the reactionaries in your comments section. Look at them ostensibly giggling at all the supposed "snowflakes," while simultaneously and paradoxically being unable to stand one thing that dares challenge their worldview. It would be hilarious if it weren't so dangerous. Sigh.
In all seriousness though, GOTY 2019 is already playing politics on the internet so this game doesn’t stand a chance.
Interesting concept. Papers Please was great.
Hopefully it's more interesting than reality. Simulating the current state of affairs would be dull. Just repeatedly press a button to lie, shamelessly and repeatedly. Watch people join your cult as you tell them what they want to hear, even if it isn't true. On the final level you get to successfully cash in on the gullible drones following you with a bit of tasty disaster capitalism.
I suppose the advantage is you could release special Trump and Corbyn editions with minimal changes. A bit more racism and sexism in the former, and in the latter case you'd need to take out the bit where you actually achieve success. Similar though.
@YourGoodFriendly
Not really. If you don't want to play it, don't play it
@CarpeDiem .
"What utter contempt you have for British people that are not city folk"
It doesn't mean that. You're getting offended over nothing.
@Likethepear
The word most (sorry, MOST) taking a real kicking here
@electrolite77 I beg your pardon? I was just saying politically topical games have become more common. I wasn't criticizing their existence nor this game, just pointing out that they do.
@Majora101
"Be it the once-Great Britain or America, anything short of absolute devotion to extreme left-wing ideology is indescribable heresy and morally on-par with the worst of Nazi-era Germany."
I'm amused that you think only one of the political extremes behaves this way. Given recent Brexit developments that sees anyone who wants any kind of Brexit deal (even Liam Fox) excoriated for not wanting a hard enough Brexit regardless of mandate, Nigel Farage suggesting Civil Servants need to pass ideological tests yet cutting off callers to his radio show that disagree with him and serious talk of proroguing parliament for daring to disagree with the hardcore.
@CarpeDiem
"it’s when someone is trying to be casually racist"
No it isn't. You don't know what it means. Stop digging.
Yikes, I knew people on this website were pretty right wing but wow.
@Totaldude911 No we're not, stop lying. The U.S. economy is doing great, and if you'd stop watching CNN you would know this.
@electrolite77 Trump isn't sexist or racist. Again, stop watching CNN.
@Indominus_B Thank you. Trump is doing a great job and only the ignorant don't understand this. It's truly a shame. The brainwashing is strong in the U.K. and Europe, unfortunately.
@Peterjr1 Being right wing is NOT a bad thing. And I NEVER got that feeling from this website, because it's European and they tend to be very liberal. I always assumed this place was left wing, as most news sites tend to be.
"Taking a particularly bleak view of the post-Brexit future, a far-right extremist government has exiled all citizens of European heritage (themselves excluded, presumably) and, taking up a job as a bouncer, it's up to you to survive as best you can in the land that was once green and, indeed, pleasant. The Switch edition of PanicBarn's game will include the brand new One Love DLC."
Sigh, what lies. And such obvious wish fulfillment. Because real conservatives are the not racists and sexists they want us to be, they have to lie about us and what we believe in. You Europeans are really ignorant and brainwashed. The plot doesn't even make sense, why would conservatives hate their own kind... This game is sick and delusional.
@Aquamine-Amarine I was referring to the commentors who are very right wing and nowadays that does often equate to bad. Most news sites tend to be ´left-wing´ because facts are seen to be a left wing concept nowadays
And referring to your bit defending Trump, he literally self-published a racist tirade on his twitter account two days ago.
Brexit is a total joke because a.) There was never an exit strategy and b.) A whole bunch of people voted in favour of it and then immediately cried foul because they were somehow obvlious to all of the blatantly obvious ramifications. It’s funny whether or not it’s a good or a bad thing, How is this a partisan issue? Egg on the face doesn’t take political sides.
Likewise, how is it a left wing thing if I don’t particularly enjoy waking up the morning of the Fourth of July to my President stirring petty bs about some random congressman through his Twitter account? It’s his mouth that’s always running that puts people off well before they offer him the opportunity to express his political opinions. The unproductive line-towing associated with the DNC and GOP is the only reason why the man has support. It would be the same if he was a Democrat. Right-wing media & politicians would be calling him out on his behaviour while Left-wing media & politicians would be pulling whatever self-delusions it takes to keep their man in in office.
Here, let me cheer you folks up:
Two American politicians walk into an immigration debate.
The Republican says, “Seeing as we are the self-proclaimed ‘fiscally conservative’ party, our solution is to throw a bajillion US green bucks at a futile game of Whack-A-Mole.”
The Democrat says, “No, you are wrong, the solution is to....oh wait, my dog ate my homework.”
@Yorumi
Are we talking about those Anti-fa clowns that also comitted violence in protest of Obama? Or late night hosts and SNL?. Cause, I pretty much can’t do me without being called a Communist, a Snowflake or a Libtard. Just as I can imagine anyone dubbed “right-wing” can’t just live their life without being called a fascist or a Nazi. The only violence I’ve ever faced was either from ex-girlfriends or people who think I’m gay.
They should have just put big anime tits in it then all the people complaining would be falling over themselves claiming it was free speech and art.
Keep blatant politics like this out of gaming please. I don't mind there being some social commentary or references to real world issues in games but this sort of blatant political garbage has no place in the medium.
Good Lord so many lefties in the comments. If you're a liberal past the age of 30 you have made poor decisions to still have the mindset of big gubment.
Who cares about videogames being political ? Breaking news, everything can be politics. So if you are triggered because a game is taking a position you don't agree with, then just don't play it.
I liked reading some of the comments here, it was pretty fun to see that there's really some people who can't see that Trump is actually racist when he says to some people to go back to their country (if you are born in the US ... What should you do ? Got it ? That's why it's racist)
About what he does for the US country, I really don't care that much. I'm not living there so I mind my own business. Even if he's doing a good work that doesn't mean he can't be disgusting.
I'm also laughing at people like the other guy saying that we are all brainwashed in all Europe lmao. Like you know, if you don't see his point of view, then you are brainwashed. It's not because we are outside their country, it's not because we have each our own history as we are multiple countries so we have all different points of view. No. It's because we are all brainwashed by the leftist websites and medias. Thumbs up dude.
@Yorumi
Yeah but the game we’re discussing is about Brexit, and a lot of the comparison apply. Specifically the rabid polarisation into ‘sides’. As soon as I see anybody claiming the other ‘side’ is much worse I want to hold a mirror up that allows them to see it from a different perspective. That’s just the bunker mentality talking.
As for ‘nasty Tweets’ anything anybody in a position of power says has portent. The more powerful you are the more this is true. Those words can be used to legitimise, encourage and destroy. As he knows full well. I see the same preaching to the Choir and willingness to accept and encourage division over here.
@Heavyarms55
Politics is absolutely fine in this medium as well as others. If you don’t want to play political games, don’t. Others might.
@Aquamine-Amarine
“Trump isn't sexist or racist. Again, stop watching CNN.”
Yes he is and I don’t watch CNN. I read.
@CarpeDiem
You’re throwing around accusations of racism when there aren’t any. This cheapens the genuine accusations. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean you have to get offended.
@electrolite77 Gaming for many people is a way to escape, a distraction from the utter cancer that is politics. If politics in gaming becomes normalized, then we wont even be able to get away in games.
Already can't even talk about freaking superhero movies or sci-fi without it devolving into politics. Don't poison games too! Everything in life doesn't need to devolved into conservatives, liberals and politics!
@Heavyarms55
I manage to avoid politics in my reading, television, music and film choices when I want to. It’s very easy to do in a gaming as well.
@Aquamine-Amarine Keep repeating those affirmations. You might convince yourself.
@ShaiHulud I'd like to believe that, but the mentality that people "were probably joking" about this is exactly what I felt before election day
I hope the UK exits.
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