American Arcadia comes from developer Out of the Blue Games and publisher Raw Fury. A title about a reality TV show that may be a little too real.

“American Arcadia is a cinematic puzzle game that combines a 2.5D platformer and first-person game to tell the tale of a thrilling escape. Experience the extraordinary story of Trevor, an average man escaping from the world’s most popular reality tv show.”

How best to sum up American Arcadia? Try to imagine what it would’ve been like if Walt Disney was the man behind The Truman Show. It’s the 1970s and you play a Trevor. A very unassuming resident of the metropolis, Arcadia. Trevor is very happy with his mundane life. One day, Trevor turns up for work to find that his co-worker, Gus, has gone “missing”. Apparently, Gus has won the getaway of a lifetime… or has he?

As he continues with his boring life, Trevor begins to hear a strange song that is seemingly giving him a secret message. Enter Angela. You see, it’s not really the 1970s, it’s 2023 and American Arcadia is a massively popular reality TV, only the residents of Arcadia have no idea. Angela has been watching Trevor and learns that, if a resident becomes unpopular, they are killed… like Gus. Trevor is next on the list, and Angela is here to tell him the truth and help him escape. And… that’s the set up. No spoilers, this is told to you in the opening five minutes.

What you get with American Arcadia is two very distinctly different games. Playing as Trevor, it’s a 2.5D action-platformer. Expect a lot of running, jumping and even a bit of stealth. However, you also play as Angela, who is very adept at hacking, and the game then switches to a first-person puzzle game. American Arcadia swaps between the two characters (and gameplay styles) as you progress through the story. There are times when you’ll need to use Angela’s notable skills to aid Trevor. Maybe, by hacking into the hidden cameras (used for the TV show), Angela can open doors and move platforms to help Trevor on his way to escaping. You know that scene on The Matrix where Morpheus guides Neo out his work office, while Agents seek him out? It’s a bit like that.

Sometimes, you’ll just play as Trevor. Sometimes, you’ll just play as Angela. Other times, you need you need to use both character’s skills to progress. Occasionally, you’ll need to play as both Trevor and Angela at the same time. No spoilers, but there is a part in the game where Trevor is trying to escape, and you have to stealthily move him, while trying to avoid being spotted by the very people trying to bring him in. However, you’re actually playing as Angela, who is watching Trevor on a monitor in her office… but she is being questioned by a superior who suspects that someone is helping Trevor escape. So you are playing as Angela, but have to control Trevor, trying to escape via watching him on the monitor. At the same time, you have to answer questions, playing as Angela, while trying not to arouse suspicion that you are the one helping Trevor. It’s really quite clever and your brain has to cope with the two things at the same time.

American Arcadia really does a fantastic job of melding the two different gameplay styles and the game zips along with a lot of variety. The action-platforming with Trevor will see you experiencing the idyllic Arcadia city of the 1970s (though it is really 2023) with all of it’s bright colours, flared trousers and awesome facial hair.  As you progress, Trevor will see more of his blinkered world and even get a peek behind-the-scenes of how the American Arcadia TV show is made. This is a stark contrast to Angela’s modern world with it’s more clinical look and feel. Plus, as Angela, you get to explore world of the people who created whole thing. There’s a bit where you go on a very Disney/Spaceship Earth-like dark ride that goes through the history of the company from it’s inception, up to the creation and popularity of the American Arcadia TV show. Honestly, it’s really interesting and it showcases the level of detail that the writers have gone for. Speaking of which…

The story is top-notch stuff and it kept me guessing where it was going, right up to the finale. The two main characters are brilliantly written, they really feel alive, and the game has an overflowing level of charm. It can be a bit easy at times and I get the feeling that the story came first, then the game was built around it. Even so, American Arcadia is great fun, very playable and a game that you should definitely get on your radar.