American Arcadia was announced by developer Out of the Blue Games and publisher Raw Fury just a few months ago. Now, Summer Game Fest has provided us with a new gameplay trailer for American Arcadia, which can be viewed below.
From the team that made Call of the Sea, American Arcadia is a vibrant adventure in which players have to survive a televised 1970s nightmare — not unlike the film, The Truman Show. What seems like a perfect utopian city on the surface is actually part of a twisted game show. The populace is unaware that they have popularity ratings, and if those ratings sink it could lead to their untimely demise.
The Truman Show game we never imagined
The gameplay trailer for American Arcadia showcases the colorful city in its ideal state. Everything is a little too clean and perfect. Not long after, protagonist Trevor Hills is trying to make a daring escape in 2.5D side-scrolling and platforming sections. Puzzles, stealth, and intense chases all seem to be a part of his journey to escape Arcadia.
Near the end of the trailer, we also get a brief glimpse at the second playable protagonist who seems to be somewhere outside of Arcadia. This character is doing whatever she can to assist Trevor with his escape, and it looks to involve solving puzzles and hacking from a first-person perspective.
It’s clear that American Arcadia is wearing its inspirations from The Truman Show on its sleeve, but it’s also taking this idea in new directions. The older aesthetic and focus on trying to escape could induce a lot more tension to the experience and playing as a secondary character on the outside should hopefully provide a fresh perspective. The reality TV-based narrative looks set to impress, but there is no release date for American Arcadia just yet.
