Most AAA developers and publishers are exceedingly quick to distance themselves from the notion that their games have any form of real-world political message or agenda. Indie studio Binary Space isn’t quite so concerned about making their opinions regarding Brexit Britain clear, however, as their upcoming game Ghoul Britannia: Land of Hope and Gorey asserts that the British public’s leave vote has sparked a “self-inflicted apocalypse.”
Ghoul Britannia is a classic point-and-click adventure game authored by Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars and Johannes Cabal the Necromancer author Jonathan L. Howard. The game centers around a young woman called Hope Andrews, who was separated from her family when the UK government enacted a “dangerous plan” to save the region’s failing post-Brexit economy.
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What was this plan? Brexiteers came up with a way to reanimate the dead and have them perform menial labor, presumably freeing up living workers to take on more engaging roles. The madcap plan aims to improve the economy twofold by also allowing families to sell their dead relatives into servitude as so-called “Extended Labor Units.”
Predictably, this plot quickly goes awry and zombies being to run riot across Brexit Britain, which can no longer rely on the support of the European Union in rectifying matters. As Hope, you’re out to survive this “bloodcurdling” and darkly comedic disaster while seeking out your missing family.
Ghoul Britannia: Land of Hope and Gorey certainly sounds a bit bonkers, and players seeking some biting political commentary in their zombie point-and-click games don’t have long to wait until they can get their hands on it. The game is set to hit Steam Early Access for PC and Mac on October 9, its Early Access build including the first half and then being updated with the concluding portion in “early 2020.”
This isn’t the first game to depict a Brexit dystopia, believe it or not. Not Tonight has you working to retain UK citizenship, while another game sparked outrage for letting players beat up MPs. On that note, thanks to the recently established UK Parliament Twitch channel, gamers can now livestream MP debates as they take place in the House of Commons. What a time to be alive!
