The Black Mirror: Bandersnatch choose-your-own-adventure Netflix movie/game was meta in a number of ways – one potential ending in particular. However, that reached new levels over the weekend.
Beware: There are spoilers along the way here. Go and watch Bandersnatch and come back!
One of the 80s video games featured in the narrative, called Nohzdyve, can now be played using emulation software. Nohzdyve was the title under construction by programmer, Colin Ritman, who plays lead character Stefan Butler’s muse during the groundbreaking piece.
The discovery was made by an eagle-eyed Redditor who spied an on-screen QR code linking to a website for the fictional studio ‘Tuckersoft’, which notes the company’s 1984 line-up. The webpage eludes to Bandersnatch becoming the hit title, but explains Nohzdyve was pulled from release “bleak turn of events”.
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It reads: “While Colin Ritman was Tuckersoft’s leading man, it was Stefan Butler’s 1984 release, Bandersnatch, that catapulted the company to new heights. The innovative narrative and gameplay transformed interactive entertainment forever.
“A bleak turn of events would lead to the abrupt cancellation of Colin Ritman’s highly-anticipated game, Nohzdyve, and the end of Stefan Butler’s promising career.
“Metl Hedd remains a classic, but the world will have to wonder what Nohzdyve was like. Rumour has it, an early version of the game is somewhere out there, waiting to be played for the first time.”
Now it appears that that game is out there, ready to be played on a Spectrum emulator, like Speccy for example. The Tuckersoft site (via TechCrunch) features a download for the nohzdyve.tap file, along with instructions to “Play Nohzdyve on your ZX Spectrum emulator.”
You’ll need a Windows PC, but reportedly, the game works just fine.
Have you played Nohzdyve on your PC yet? What did you make of the Bandersnatch experience? Share your experiences with us @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
