Not For Broadcast: Live & Spooky

While everybody was out there calling Elden Ring the game of the year, my favorite game of 2022 was a small full-motion video job simulator named Not For Broadcast. This was a satirical take on the news that put me in the broadcast booth controlling what people saw and heard. I loved it, and was incredibly excited when Tiny Build announced a series of downloadable expansion packs featuring different themed shows. The first one is here, and it’s a spooky broadcast where we have to solve a decade’s old mystery, all while trying to survive the haunted studio. That’s an intriguing premise, but can this DLC episode live up to the hype? Find out now when I review Not For Broadcast: Live & Spooky.

Seeing as this is an expansion and you need the full game to play it, I’m going to assume that you’ve either played or, at the very least, know about Not For Broadcast. However, in case you haven’t, here’s how it works: You sit in the control room at a TV station and command the feed by switching between four different camera angles and censoring anything objectionable. You’ll occasionally run into technical issues and other obstacles, but most of the game revolves around switching between cameras and bleeping profanity.

The set-up for Live & Spooky is immediately appealing. You’re there to control the broadcast of one of those cheesy ghost hunting shows hosted by Wayne De Spiritwhistle and a heavy amount of eyeliner. He’s revealing the mystery of the Bannon Sound Stage, a part of the studio that has long been rumored to be haunted. You see, it was on this very stage where several tragedies befell Graham Bannon and the cast of the 1956 movie Dying Is Another Man’s Job. To help tell the tale of the haunted sound stage, Wayne is joined by Graham Bannon’s son, Patrick, a reporter and broadcaster who is more than a little hesitant to have his family secrets dredged up on national TV.

As I’m sure you’ve already guessed by now, this whole haunted studio thing is a lark. In fact, it’s so staged that we’re given buttons in order to trigger a few staged moments to scare the cast. Of course, in true horror fashion, the longer the show goes on, you’ll start to realize that there might be something to these haunted studio stories. Unexplained things are happening to your equipment, you can hear mysterious voices and members of the cast are literally disappearing. Yup, something spooky is definitely afoot.

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What surprised me about this DLC is that there’s a meta game going on here that has us trying to find the three burned movie reels that reveal the truth. This is an episode that is designed to be played multiple times, with the player trying out different combinations and paths in order to answer the mystery of the Bannon Sound Stage. I was impressed by how much different footage they filmed in order to give us different experiences with each playthrough. And while a little predictable, the mystery is a lot of fun to solve and leads to an extremely satisfying ending.

My frustration with the game is that a lot of the control booth stuff takes a back seat to choosing paths and unraveling the mystery. There are a lot of times where our video feed options are limited to one or two, and there’s very little you’ll need to censor. We’re given a new B.O.O. meter, which we’re told not to fiddle with. Of course, the haunted studio keeps messing with it, so you’ll need to adjust the knobs and buttons back to their default setting. This addition is fun at first, but wears out its welcome quickly. I was a little disappointed that we weren’t more in control of the TV elements of this show.

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That said, the production value continues to impress. Live & Spooky is poking a lot of fun of old British supernatural shows, complete with cheesy effects, cheap sets and hammy overacting. Everybody is having a great time embracing the inherent campiness, and yet they bring the goods when the story inevitably takes that turn into serious horror. This is one of those games where I didn’t mind having to see some of the same footage multiple times, because Wayne De Spiritwhistle and the rest of the cast are so much fun to watch.

As an expansion, Live & Spooky lives up to expectations. It gives us a smaller show and completely switches up the genre, giving us a completely new and unique experience. If nothing else, it shows the promise of these DLC episodes. And yes, we even get a preview of the next installment. If you’ve already beaten Not For Broadcast and are looking for something that’s scary fun, then Live & Spooky is worth the extra cash.