Sometimes in order to get the most out of some form of media, whether it’s movies, television, or games, you really “had to be there”. While you may appreciate documentaries or bio-pics about some public figure after the fact, having lived through the moment or grown up seeing that person absolutely deepens the connection. VIDEOVERSE, in my mind, has that quality in game form since it leans heavily on the earlier days of the internet and online communities, bringing together story beats and elements that will likely trigger nostalgia for some, but get lost for others.

You’ll play as Emmet, a younger teen who loves spending his time playing games and interacting with the broader community he can access through his gaming console of choice, the Shark. Despite its two-tone graphics it apparently manages to support video chat, but then includes various community boards, and allows for the sharing of drawn art in a similar vein to Nintendo’s defunct MiiVerse. This pretty gated online community serves as an outlet for Emmet to connect with some friends, meet new people, and share his own artwork while appreciating the work of others. 

What’s wild is that to a fair degree this all does manage to capture the spirit of earlier and simpler days, just if you didn’t experience them, the impact of it and what happens next may not connect as well. It seems that a new system, the Dolphin, is on the horizon and as the focus is turning to that new console, the cracks in the Shark community begin to show. Just because the tone of the space begins to sour doesn’t mean that you need to change with it though. You’re able to report inappropriate comments and images, and you can choose to prop other people up when they’re being attacked. While the community was more curated from the top before, you can choose to continue to be a source of positivity, or you could help speed the community to its demise as well I suppose.

Of course all of that serves as the backdrop for the character development and stories of the people you interact with the most, and most directly. This all very much reminded me of all of the people I’ve talked to over the years, and in some cases still do, that I’ve never met in-person but have been important to my life and well-being. Of course, sharing conversations through these more indirect means has challenges, and you can feel those at times, proving out the quality of the writing that does come through with a sense of authenticity. This ultimately plays out as an experience more than a game per se, and for the right audience I can see it having real appeal, but it’s a very specific flavor to be sure.