Bad Day on the Midway

Bad Day on the Midway is a CD-ROM game designed and scored by The Residents and a number of other graphic artists, including Jim Ludtke.

Bad Day on the Midway
Developer(s)Inscape
Publisher(s)Inscape
Designer(s)Jim Ludtke
Platform(s)Windows, Mac
ReleaseOctober 31, 1995
Genre(s)First-person Adventure
Mode(s)Single player

The game was optioned by Ron Howard at Imagine Television for a proposed series to be directed by David Lynch.[1] After two years of meetings with Lynch, the project was dropped because a script was never agreed upon. Had the project moved forward, The Residents would have not been creatively involved as their contract only gave them consulting roles in the pilot.

The character Timmy was later brought back in a series of short videos by the Residents. Additionally, in 2012 a novel was published based on the game's story.[2]

Gameplay

The player can switch between the various game characters in order to solve a number of puzzles. The game features gameplay elements from point-and-click adventures and has alternative narrative lines, with definite fixed story elements.

The gameplay is centered around discovery via the different characters and to understand the storyline as a whole, it is necessary to complete the game multiple times. The game is time-limited and decisions made by the player influence the game's timer.[3]

Soundtrack

There was also a soundtrack album (Have a Bad Day, East Side Digital EDS 81202) and some of the game's visuals were brought together in full resolution on The Residents' Icky Flix DVD.

Reception

The game won the 1995 'Macrovision International User Conference Award' in two categories – Best Entertainment Title and Most Innovative Use of Multimedia.[8] Gamespot gave the game 8.1 out of 10 stating “With graphics that perfectly match the story's mood, hauntingly upbeat music, and superbly crafted characters, the twisted design team has forged a story that is engrossing and entertaining throughout.“[9]

References
  1. "The City of Absurdity: David Lynch, PICTURE FACTORY". www.thecityofabsurdity.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  2. "Historical - The Residents". www.residents.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  3. "The Residents: Bad Day on the Midway - Infosite - About the Game & Gameplay". www.wegneronline.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  4. Clarkson, Mark (May 1996). "Psychedelic Carny". Computer Gaming World (142): 125, 127.
  5. Jones, Brett (August 1996). "Bad Day on the Miday". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on 2000-03-11. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  6. St. John, Donald (March 1996). "The Residents' Bad Day on the Midway". PC Entertainment. Archived from the original on 1996-11-13. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  7. Graves, Gaye L. (February 19, 1996). "Bad Day on the Midway". NewMedia. Archived from the original on 1997-07-14. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  8. "Press Room - The Residents". www.residents.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  9. Sengstack, Jeff (May 1, 2000). "Bad Day on the Midway Review - GameSpot". www.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
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