The Indie Informer

Before anything else, I want to be clear that Fred, the inflatable flamingo is the star of The Crush House — Nerial’s newly announced and unexpectedly different title. He may also be the sinister presence at the heart of its seedy mystery. Who is to say?

The Crush House was first described to me as a thirst-person shooter. And since I’m an absolute sucker for wordplay, I didn’t need any more convincing. What that phrase turned out to mean was unexpected. Nerial is perhaps best known for its Reigns series. A kind of card adventure that has players swipe left or right to make important decisions, balance resources, and unlock new elements of the story.

The Crush House also has “swipe right” energy, but more in the pop culture sense. Players will take control of Jae, a camera operator on the (hopefully) hit reality TV show, The Crush House. Sadly, the game is too early in development for me to go hands-on, but I get the rundown on what to expect when I can. I’ll choose the cast, fulfill the audience’s desires, and populate the house with provocative props. Of course, there’s one rule: Don’t talk to the talent.

Each season of the show is a five-day cycle, with each day growing more complicated along with the viewership. Some demographics, like the foodies, want to see glorious gourmet content. Others, like the butt guys — just want as many butts in the frame as often as possible. Because taping is live, I’ll see immediately if my efforts are working thanks to a continuously rolling chat. Happy viewers translate to high ratings, which will keep the show from getting canceled before the end of the week.

But money is always a necessity. To keep the cash flowing and support growing demands from the audience, I have to choose when to cut away from the action to show ads. I’ll be able to pick and tailor these to my audience, which will hopefully translate to higher profits. However, balancing the need for both high ratings and funds looks like it will get increasingly difficult.

It doesn’t help that one of the ads I was subjected to might have burned permanently into my brain. The team explained that many of the advertisements are actually Easter eggs from other indie games. And like an idiot, I had to ask if they had an example. To my horror, they presented me with a full screen of a swaying, very up-close-and-personal shot of a butt and asked me if I recognized the subject. It turned out to be the star of another upcoming Devolver game, Baby Steps. Now I’ll never see the walking sim the same again.

When the cast is on the screen, they’ll be enjoying the typical dramatic fare of the reality TV genre. Nerial has purpose-built a system that helps create the outcomes of each real-time social encounter, taking into account each character’s unique views, personality, and goals for being on the show. I asked the team which of the cast members were their favorites, and two made their way to the top.

The first was Milo, whom I met as they emerged from the elevator in the pool. You heard that correctly. The entrance to this perfectly ridiculous set is a shining white lift in the center of a pool that opens out onto a runway. Almost the first words out of Milo’s mouth were an assertion that they weren’t the judgmental type. But when the next guest emerged, that proved to be a very false statement.

Another favorite cast member was Gunther. I didn’t get to see much of him because I didn’t cast him for my season one. However, he appears to be an internet armchair expert with a dash of Nice Guy thrown in. But the creators are quick to point out that, while every character has flaws, they are not two dimensional. Each will have something that endears them to players and creates a more complicated set of relationships on the show.

This all sounds like a packed gameplay experience, but before ending this preview, Nerial showed me a sliver of what’s hiding beneath the surface. Remember that rule about not talking to the talent? Well, it seems like rules are meant to be broken. And when I do break them, someone takes notice. A call in the middle of the night. Directions to find a door I’ve never seen. The end of the presentation holds more questions than answers and compels me to discover what, exactly, is going on beneath the vibrant and bubbly Crush House.