Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

ARCADE

 
Alec Martin Review by Alec Martin 3 Published: 7 Aug 2024 Summerhall Show Dates: 31 Jul 2024-26 Aug 2024

Darkfield are back at the Fringe with Arcade, their latest shipping container based adventure in the dark. This time the interactivity has been ramped up, offering audiences a chance to negotiate a story which is only slightly less opaque than the thick darkness of the performance space.

a fine half an hour with more than a little replayability value

For the uninitiated, Darkfield constructs drama via immersive, binaural soundscapes. As an audience member, you go in, slip on a pair of headphones, get plunged into I-can’t-see-my-hand-in-front-of-my-face levels of darkness, and have at it as the story plays through your ears over the course of around 25 minutes.

Previously they’ve taken listeners through a coma experience, a seance, a flight, and a hotel which seemed to lie somewhere on the border between life and death. They’re experiences unlike any other at the Fringe, and as time has gone by the company has continued to innovate, adding features to deepen listener engagement.

The latest experience adds the occasional sprinkle of water, puff of air, and the ability to make yes/no decisions and spend tokens to allow audience members to shape the story which they are involved in. It’s a very engaging format, and if you haven’t had the chance to experience one of Darkfield’s shows yet then as long as you don’t have a crippling fear of the dark, it’s well-worth trying out.

While the format itself is reason enough to give the show a try, the content is less enticing. You start as the character Milk and are prompted to make several decisions and choices as you negotiate some sort of war zone, for some sort of reason. It’s murky stuff which adds less portentous, dramatic ambiguity than it does mild confusion.

Still, it’s easy to get swept away in the fun of making choices and learning the consequences, and from discussions following the conclusion of the event there it’s clear there were some wildly different dramatic outcomes available. It all makes for a fine half an hour with more than a little replayability value.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

ARCADE is the latest immersive audio experience from Darkfield. Using the nostalgic aesthetic of 1980s video games, ARCADE's interactive narrative explores the evolving relationship between players and avatars. Over 30 minutes in a completely dark shipping container, this choose-your-own-path experience will fully immerse the players using 360 degree binaural sound, sensory effects and a bespoke Darkfield Arcade machine for each player. Players will be asked existential questions about free will and consciousness in a world where some may win and some may lose...