Not For Broadcast PC Review: Return To Bumley

All the reviews on this site are personal – I write them based on my experience. However, NotGames and tinyBuild’s title resonates with me on an unprecedented scale, putting all the best ingredients into what can only be described as a three-course dessert: comedy, multitasking, and storytelling. I love this.

If you’ve been cooped up indoors like everyone else for the past couple of years, perhaps you’re one of the 300,000+ who bought it in Early Access, or at least read a few write-ups, watched a few streams or heard people commenting about it. If that’s you, ignore the next paragraph.

Not For Broadcast takes place at an ever-evolving TV studio. Your job is the Fat Controller, a.k.a. Editor, Alex Winston. You are tasked with editing live feeds of a nightly news broadcast – ensuring the best camera angles are selected, expletives are deleted, and leaning towards a political agenda that best suits your interests.

These political elements are fictitious, and there are no real-life counterparts or identifiable locations as everything is set out as Territory #s. It’ll make more sense when you play. Not ‘if’. Though it’s a work of fiction, each part of Not For Broadcast during the Early Access phase was topical, without ramming anything down your throat, and has the same acute observational skills as a quality stand-up comedian.

Until now, Not For Broadcast was a news programme on Channel One that got wrapped up in the two main opposing forces: Advance and Disrupt. The original anchors, Jeremy Donaldson (Paul Baverstock) and Megan Wolfe (Andrea Valls), go through countless tribulations. Jeremy does not appear in the final instalment. This was a bit disappointing but understandable based on what happened in part two. However, Megan is perfectly cast. Her reactions throughout were impeccable.

That goes for the whole cast. Not For Broadcast is pretty much dependent on its actors, and there wasn’t a weak link. The comic timing throughout was a masterclass. I will say that some of the arcs got a little messy, and it’s possible to balls up the path you intend to follow, i.e. siding with Advance or Disrupt. But you’ve got more significant problems at home with your wife, Sam, and your two kids – depicted through some visual novel-like sequences.

Part three doesn’t feature the same distractions as before. The fluffy toys and overheating problems were mildly irritating. Instead, there’s more multitasking while still focusing on the live-action such as censoring f-bombs, adjusting the broadcast frequency and switching screens. Without a doubt, you should be using the hotkeys in the game, and in this final instalment, they’re indispensable.

I purposely leave it ambiguous in terms of the plot as there are so many paths to take, and no one sequence is the same, even though the footage is pre-recorded. The editing in Not For Broadcast is the star here, a.k.a. you, as it isn’t until you watch through the rushes to see what a bumbling idiot you are. The actual professionals who still do this job are heroes. Clap for them. Go on.

To become part of the editor elite, remember these golden rules:

• Shots no longer than 10 seconds
• Reaction shots no more than 3 seconds

The replay value of this game is immense. Even if you aren’t interested in watching the rushes, inevitably you’ll miss something like the adverts. It’s impossible to watch them live without eavesdropping on the cast off the screen. The Bumley promotional videos are superb once again, as are Crazy Neil’s commercials. But he’s really letting himself go and has no filter. Sticks?!?

Besides the challenges and Telethon extras, there are a multitude of epilogues to unlock in Not For Broadcast. Rather than there being two or three simple endings, there are 19 of them (give or take). I haven’t unlocked them all, but this is the kind of thing worth completing in its entirety – not for the achievements, but for genuine interest.

Anyone who has done editing – be it actual editing suites or iMovie on your phone, will understand the familiarity you get with the material to the point of knowing it better than your kids’ names. Whatever they’re called. Through repetition, and no, not grinding, you start spotting nuances and get to a level where you’re getting A+ ratings for your editing, but spot an angle you never considered before, then replay the sequence again. That said, I’ll never perfect the music videos. There were a few too many, in my opinion.

It’s not much of a quote, but Not For Broadcast is the best FMV experience in gaming history. But ignoring that… quirk, it’s such a well-thought-out concept, thoroughly well-executed, and perhaps one of the most positive aspects of eventually coming out of lockdown. If you’ve been following its progress, you’ll note the team ran into difficulty during the pandemic. There was even an appointed COVID officer in the credits.  

We often look at the past to make a social commentary of the present, and despite the use of the archaic (but wonderfully nostalgic VHS), Not For Broadcast couldn’t be more current right now and, undoubtedly, one of the best games I’ve ever played. Yes, ever. GOTY so far.