Well. I think I've just seen the first original and truely successful interactive TV programme.
Whether it was a work of genius I'm uncertain about.
As a slice of the past it was astonishingly evocative, from choosing the tape soundtrack, the visit to Smiths to select the LP, the computers, the sounds of the programme playing, the overall mid 80's atmosphere, they absolutely nailed it (when I saw the book "Bandersnatch" with the "Chris Foss" cover I cheered!)
And to begin with choosing the paths was ,like that book, quite novel. Certainly the pauses between scene choice selection was excellently done and virtually seamless. The interactivity was definitely cleverly written and fitted around all the ideas in the story, and at first the branching storylines were entertaining.
But two thirds of the way through I started to get disenchanted by it all, as the outcomes and loops became more convulted and in some cases obvious. And, unfortunately, in comparison to some of the freedoms to be found in the current crop of video games it became a chore interacting with it, rather than an entertainment.
Given the probable budget and the constraints on the production as the first trial of its kind its still a hugely impressive effort. I cannot imagine any story format much better suited to the way it worked than the one they crafted.
But, did I preffer it to watching a normal film or any number of the better written and more entertaining "Black Mirror" storys?
Then the answer is no.
