“TELEFORUM: Analog Embers of a Failed Broadcast” Video Game Recommendation

Are you chasing success or are you chasing ghosts? Point a camera and you’ll be showing the truth. … Right? Well, let me tell you about TELEFORUM.

As happened with many people a few years ago, I went through a pretty intense analog horror phase. I thought the aesthetics were refreshing and evocative, even if my birth in ’99 severely cut off my memory of VHS to a few Pixar movies during my infancy. I think the better examples of the genre take not only from instruction tapes but also Japanese found footage and classic internet ARGs.

The creepiness to me was never seeing a possessed tape about a monster, but rather the uncomfortable feeling of lost context, and information decay. There was something happening, and you only get this small, often tampered view into the whole affair, letting your imagination run rampant.

Needless to say, while I have a very high regard for certain productions (like this one, Angel Hare, covered by Bradda M. for our site), I found the obsession with instruction tapes and emergency broadcasts really disappointing, eventually the hype died down and I just went on with my life. There was something there, though… something special.

The whims of fate decided that, when selecting a random item from my very large “things to play/watch/listen/read” list, a little game called TELEFORUM would be picked. Made by Monumental Collab, a Brazilian collective of game developers, this little gem is freely available on Steam and managed to quickly remind me about what I appreciate the most when it comes to horror and mystery.

TELEFORUM‘s aesthetics are immediately clear, from the VHS effects to the composition of its mostly static scenes. It very naturally integrates the visual aspects of analog horror into a point-and-click first-person adventure, with very positive results. The importance of the camera as the point-of-view is quickly pointed out: as you are the cameraman in the scene.

The meshing of the narrative device and gameplay framing (the classic “someone has to record this” for a found footage thing to work is a wonderful vessel for a player character) makes for a wonderful metaphor where even our protagonist starts to suspect that they’re but a means to an end.

The story centers around the aftermath of a tragedy on Walter Martins’ TELEFORUM, a notable TV program. Also, I see you with the cheeky reference, thankfully there aren’t any animatronics going around. After the death of the host of the show, a crew of two people tries to, maybe self-servingly, interview his widow and find out what happened. What’s that mysterious tape that he seemed so obsessed over?

The game achieves its setting and atmosphere through mostly static backgrounds with fades as transitions. While I do think that a bit more movement might have served to keep things engaging, the style is pretty cohesive, and the rare occasions where a more fluid sequence happens really stand out.

Imagine my happiness as I explore a game that isn’t interested in jumpscares or weird creatures, but rather strange phenomena and surreal concepts. The story starts looping on itself, and as our partner gets to watch the tape and hear something, we get the feeling that the best idea would be to step away.

The story keeps pulling forward, however, and the ending manages to feel impactful while leaving enough open to keep the imagination going. Further playthroughs and some observational skills might net you a secret ending and more information on what has happened, but never to the point that you feel it all has been explained away.

Such a focus on mystery and lost context makes for a wonderful analog horror experience, where the aesthetics are not the point, but rather the medium through which the most unnerving, surreal parts of our consciousness are explored. You might think I’m overthinking, but you aren’t getting to any big ideas without having a big think.

TELEFORUM is interesting, bite-sized, unnerving, and evocative. And it’s free! It’s a public broadcast, so don’t miss out on Walter Martins’ last show. I’ve heard he went out with a bang. … or something like that.

You can find TELEFORUM on Steam.

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Author: Walker M

Aspiring game developer and hobbyist writer. Perpetually doing too much. Chronically burnt out.

Argentinian. Passionate. Unbearable?

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