PEGBRJE: Conversations With Emma and Super Bernie World
Paint the Town Red.
Conversations with Emma is a narrative title created by Yifat Shaik, a solo indie dev and games professor based out of Canada. Players will be navigating this Twine game as they stumble in to the ghost of Emma Goldman, a pioneer of of the philosophical movement of anarchism within the United States and Europe back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As it is the 21st century, players will update Emma on the current state of affairs in the hopes of showing off just how big of ‘fan’ they are.
Players will be navigating the plot in a very unique way as it is laid out in a 3x3 grid that sections the backing art. Certain panels will blank during the conversation to be replaced with the text itself, with some having multiple panels of text revealed so that players can choose which dialogue they wish to pursue. When deciding on a dialogue option, players will know if they are a possibility as the text box will have a few words bolded to signify their importance to the conversational direction, such as the above mentions of ‘sends me clothes’ and ‘seasonal one’. While the conversation itself flows freely, those bolded are what the discussion will pivot around as Emma attempts to grasp an understanding of the current socioeconomic outlook that the world has. The player’s decisions can shape Emma’s opinions not of just the world itself but of the player’s tone and enthusiasm when explaining certain lifestyle choices. Sounding super excited about the deliveries from Amazon might sound great to the player, but to an anarchist that’s a death knell.
As one might expect, having a conversation with one of history’s philosophical innovators might be a tad challenging if the player themselves are unaware of who they actually are. I had some background knowledge on the subject thanks to my time studying history, and the conversations do give some slight context to her life but it is very easy to simply just assume Emma Goldman as just an ‘anarchist’ and consume the narrative at face value. In reality, there’s many different facets of the conversation that are hidden within, such as Emma’s understandable disconnect between capitalism’s current form and the one she lived under. Philosophers of the day had similar situations such as large corporations, but their obvious control and manipulation was completely unobservable to those without the Internet. There are many different parts to each conversation that we as the player attempt to convey as we update Emma on the state of anarchism in the 21st century, with a touch of ‘cynical relative’ energy that is given off as Emma constantly explains just how disappointed she is. Just like reunions, it makes sense; but it still stings.
Conversations With Emma is easily a game I can recommend whilst also not recommending it at the same time, if that makes sense. It’s source material is definitely not something many have come in to contact with, and unless you wish to read some of the material provided to gain some context it will feel a bit disconnecting to have the ghost of an anarchist scolding you about your spending habits. Due to the nature it is presented as well, it may feel a tad hard to follow for some if they were looking for a Twine game that had a more linear visual approach. However, if you were wanting to wonder what it would be like to discuss ethical consumption with the ‘most dangerous woman in America’ then this might be a great place to start.
Super Bernie World is a political recreation of a classic title by spearheaded by Kitsune Games, the indie studio founded by devs Eniko (Emma Maassen) and Nj0rd (James Yarrow), with this title featuring the works of Wayne Kubiak, Anthony Swinnich and Serena Samborski. Players will embark on a magically nostalgic journey as a miniature of Bernie Sanders, working his way across eleven different states to reach the District of Columbia to free it and the rest of the world from the clutches of the Republicans.
In traditional retro fashion, players will be running along a 2D sidescrolling world full of platforms, power-ups, and cute chip tunes while scoring points and dodging enemies. Of course this is a specific homage to Super Mario World (what gave it away I wonder), so those who are familiar with the series will notice the new coat of paint that has been added to make it more Bernie-like. The Koopas have become Mitch troopas, Goombas are all wearing specific red hats, piranha plants are sobbing about rigged elections and the Hammer Bros are all throwing tiki torches. Bernie combats these threats with the patented stomp, along with cheese to make him large Bernie, roses to make him rose-thrower Bernie, and the power of community to give him short-term invincibility. Each world represents Bernie’s campaign conquest, with each coin collected representing a vote that he has acquired on his way to the Whitehouse. Tally them up at the end of each state, and we’ve got ourselves an election.
It’s beating a dead horse at this point to state that this game isn’t just to parody the election and advertise for Bernie whilst having a good time stomping on Mitch McConnel. Each world zone begins with one of Bernie’s Republican competitors giving a real statement on their beliefs in a certain section, followed by Bernie giving a statement retorting their beliefs. It’s to highlight the fact that yes, these people actively believe in what they say, be it anti-healthcare or anti-worker. Now as one who doesn’t live in the United States but is constantly bombarded by their politics, it’s hard to be ignorant in the constant struggle that the two-party system has created within my southern neighbour, especially the unapologetically vile nature the Republican party has exuded during my lifetime. Many who had been middling on politics all my life were suddenly very interested in the political nature of the USA, and it is hard to say I didn’t become more politically minded during these last four years, especially with the pandemic locking us in our houses with nothing to distract us from it.
Regardless of your cynicism, we all know how the 2020 election panned out, and it didn’t for Bernie Sanders. Yet Super Bernie World achieved its goal nonetheless by creating a fun little parody of the political system of the United States to the tune of Super Mario World, allowing us to enjoy a simpler idea of politics that just involves us walking past Ted Cruz and somehow he’s in jail. Alas. If you enjoy political parody titles with some retro platforming — that may infuriate you depending on your hatred for McConnel and precision jumping — this is a title to enjoy.
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