Black Mirror’s new season features a playable nightmare: Thronglets comes to mobile

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  • Netflix releases a companion game alongside the new season of Black Mirror
  • Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, a former games journalist, drew upon his experience reviewing games in the 1990s
  • The “Playthings” episode marks a return to the Bandersnatch universe, and the game – included with your Netflix subscription – comes from fictional publisher Tuckersoft

Today, the latest installment of Black Mirror becomes available on Netflix! Gamers are in for a special surprise in the fourth episode, as it delves back into the world of Bandersnatch – remember that popular interactive episode released in 2018? To make things even more exciting, there’s also a companion mobile game to go with it!

Playthings

In 1994, the story unfolds around Colin Ritman, a pioneering video game creator, who re-enters the development scene with Thronglets, a novel “artificial life simulator.” This innovation brings to mind popular trends from the ’90s such as Lemmings, Creatures, and Tamagotchi.

As a fellow gaming enthusiast, I can’t help but share a bit of my history. Just like the protagonist in “Playthings”, I too started out as a greenhorn writer, albeit not for the same magazine. However, this mysterious publication, which went off the air in 2010, is reminiscent of where I first honed my skills – it’s called PC Zone. And guess what? Charlie Brooker, our beloved creator, also penned words about digital creatures, similar to the Thronglets, for this very same magazine back in the day!

At the Netflix event during GDC, the speaker, who was once a games journalist in the 1990s, acknowledged that he had written numerous stories inspired by games, and frequently finds himself drawing on game concepts subconsciously.

From games journalist to TV creator

Thinking of how formative games were for him, he continues:
“One of the reasons I wanted to get into television was because I had a memory of seeing Space Invaders and very early Atari games, and being mesmerised by the notion that this was TV (which I loved) but you control what was happening! It felt like a magic trick to me. And so [games] was sort of the thing that got me into television.”

In the early ’90s, roboticist Steve Grand introduced a unique series called “Creatures,” where players guide digital lifeforms in their exploration and learning journey. As you engage with these growing entities, unforeseen gameplay arises. Notably, Brooker was among several journalists who reviewed this groundbreaking PC game during its time. Simultaneously, the Tamagotchi virtual pet craze swept across the globe following its release in 1996.

You have digital pets that you can carry around like a keychain and try to keep content and well-nourished, often by frequently visiting them to feed them. The Tamagotchi series has undergone multiple re-launches and updates, with the latest being Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom on mobile devices last year. If you’ve played any of these games, you’ll understand the concept.

As with all Black Mirror episodes, things spiral towards the worst possible conclusion, and the game leads to chaos, madness and… well, you’ll have to tune in and see. It stars Peter Capaldi, Lewis Gribben, James Nelson Joyce and Michele Austin, with Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry reprising their roles from 2018.

Black Mirror becomes reality

To accompany the new series, Netflix Games has released an actual version of Thronglets for mobile devices. Netflix publishes many mobile games –
titles like Hades
,
Into The Breach
and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are all ready to play on your mobile device – and all Netflix subscribers will be able to download the Thronglets game by logging onto the Netflix app.

During pre-production, Brooker began working closely with the game developers. He drew inspiration for the visual style of the game within the episode from this team. In essence, their collaboration on the game enhanced both its appearance and atmosphere within the episode, and it’s expected that the improvements would be reciprocal as well.

Brooker emphasized the significance of maintaining an authentic 1990s vibe in the Thronglets game from Netflix, stating to a small San Francisco audience: “As someone who enjoys watching television and playing games frequently, it was crucial for me that if we were to display a game in the episode, it felt like something real, not just a game created specifically for a TV show that would only be a backdrop.

The mobile game you have seems to originate from the fictional vintage label Tuckersoft. In this game, you will look after a creature called Thronglet, which multiplies rapidly – starting with two, then four, and so on. Your role is to ensure they are fed, cleaned, and entertained. Keeping up with them might be challenging! But remember, don’t let any harmful habits develop among them!

In the series, fictional developer Ritman explains, “Start with one, and you’ll nurture and care for it, watching it multiply. One turns into two, then four, and so on. A group of them will transform into a harmonious crowd… Over time, you’ll find comfort in the presence of this crowd. The code will continue to develop, adapting and changing in ways I can’t foresee myself…

In this game, you’ll notice a retro visual aesthetic reminiscent of 16-bit classics like Lemmings. Your Thronglets begin their journey in an open field, where you can interact with them by dragging and dropping items such as apples or balls to entertain them. After some time, it’s cleaning duty! Once they’re tidy, you’ll assist them in escaping the initial field – pinch to zoom and discover a vast world that extends far beyond your initial view. This expansion is crucial, as your Thronglets will soon reproduce at an alarming rate. You can also introduce new items like a bathtub. If your phone seems to be acting up while they’re moving about, don’t worry – it might just be the game’s lively pace!

Netflix creates digital life

Given that AI has dominated the news cycle since ChatGPT hit browsers in 2022, the episode (and the game) is also a timely conversation about the role of artificial life, our responsibilities towards it, and the dangers it poses.

This abandoned Tuckersoft game, which hasn’t been released since its cancellation in 1994, is now back! It’s like a malfunctioning Tamagotchi that becomes a unique assessment of human character.

Since the demonstration event in San Francisco back in March, neither member of Pocket Gamer has met an untimely end while using it – so far.

Today, you can download Thronglets on your Netflix app (subscription needed) and explore it before delving into episode four of the latest Black Mirror season, Playthings. Just be aware that you’ll be caring for a novel life form, but it also means gaining unique insights into the Bandersnatch universe. As Brooker hinted during our San Francisco preview: “There are events in the game that aren’t shown in the episode. The experience from the game is distinct from that of the episode. It’s not just a spin-off; it’s intended to be its own immersive experience.

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2025-04-10 10:19