by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 27, 2009

"Bad Day on the Midway" offers a surreal gaming experience designed by The Residents. The group had a long history of both music and visual performances, and they'd been creating some strange performing for several decades. When they'd reached the mid-1990s, computers were exploding in popularity - so inevitably, they created a game. But it was a dark and disturbing game, unlike any game that had even been played.

The game is set in a rundown carnival, and players move through it by "becoming" one of six characters. The game then shows the carnival from that character's point of view, and displays their thoughts about the things they see. At any time it's possible to jump to another character. But soon their view will become red, as the game approaches its horrific ending - everyone is dying from plague.

Players have to re-start the game often, exploring the secrets of the midway with different characters in hopes of determining the source of the plague. Unfortunately, there's also a serial killer on the loose. If he finds a character alone, he'll immobilize them with poison darts - and deliver a creepy monologue while they die. Then it's time to re-start the game again.

Is it possible to escape the plague - and the serial killer? (And what about the gold that's hidden somewhere on the midway?) Each character has a secret, as well as an elaborate history - and they gradually supply some hints. It is possible to escape the carnival - and in some cases, flee to a happy ending. And in at least one ending, there's a way to defeat that pesky serial killer after all.

The characters stories are melodramatic and morbid, but they're also the game's biggest attraction. There's "Lotty the Human Log" (who sings a cheerful song), plus an assortment of unhappy carnival workers. Once a player learns their stories, they'll know where to lead the characters on the midway. But time is still limited - because the plague is always about to strike.

It's been nearly 15 years since this game was released, but I still remember it's bizarre format and the colorful characters. (Reportedly David Lynch once considered turning the game into a TV series.) The trashy carnival setting put the characters in their own troubled world - sometimes laughable, sometimes poignant. But it was the perfect vehicle for the Residents' own hip satire. Somewhere in the game, there was probably a message about how modern society is breaking down, leaving a trail of miserable people in a rootless traveling entertainment show.

But the game doesn't just deliver the message - it makes you experience it.

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