Tonight We Riot
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Short description|2020 beat 'em up video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Tonight We Riot
| image = TNRCoverArt.jpg
| caption =
| developer = Pixel Pushers Union 512
| publisher = Means Interactive
| platforms = Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, Windows
| released = Nintendo Switch
May 5, 2020{{Cite web |last=Musgrave |first=Shaun |date=2020-05-05 |title=SwitchArcade Round-Up: 'Umihara Kawase BaZooKa!' Western Release Announced, 'Tonight We Riot' and Today's New Releases, the Latest Sales, and More |url=https://toucharcade.com/2020/05/05/switcharcade-round-up-umihara-kawase-bazooka-western-release-announced-tonight-we-riot-and-todays-new-releases-the-latest-sales-and-more/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=TouchArcade |language=en-US}}
Linux, macOS, Windows
May 8, 2020{{Cite tweet |number=1256233372315258882 |user=TonightWeRiot |title=We have a huge announcement, Fellow Workers! We have partnered with MeansTV to bring our game to you! We'll be coming to the #NintendoSwitch on May 5th & both @Steam & @GOGcom on May 8th Solidarity! Thank you ALL for sticking by us all these years!! |date=May 1, 2020 |access-date=January 15, 2024}}
| genre = Beat 'em up
| modes = Single-player, multiplayer
}}
Tonight We Riot is a beat 'em up game released in 2020 by American{{Cite interview |last=Anderson |first=Ted |interviewer=James Woodcock |title=Interview with Pixel Pushers Union 512 |url=https://notesfrombelow.org/article/interview-pixel-pushers-union-512 |access-date=February 14, 2021 |work=Notes From Below |date=June 25, 2019 |language=en}} studio Pixel Pushers Union 512, and published by Means Interactive, both worker cooperatives, and released for Windows, MacOS, Linux and the Nintendo Switch. The game promotes left-wing anti-capitalist ideals.{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Ian|date=May 7, 2020|title=Tonight We Riot Devs Wanted To Make An 'Unapologetically Leftist' Game|url=https://kotaku.com/tonight-we-riot-devs-wanted-to-make-an-unapologetically-1843321038|access-date=May 22, 2021|website=Kotaku|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Ottenhof|first=Luke|date=May 31, 2020|title='Tonight We Riot' and the Rise of the Socialist Video Game|url=https://observer.com/2020/05/tonight-we-riot-socialist-video-game-means-interactive/|access-date=May 22, 2021|website=Observer|language=en-US}}
Gameplay
The game follows a player-controlled crowd of workers rather than a single character, each member with their own weapons, to fight against Pinkertons, militias, and police as they move their way through a level. Players can inspire more workers to join the crowd by liberating factories and encouraging more workers to join the fight. The game's difficulty is dynamic as it is tied in part due to the size of the mob, from being extremely difficult as a single worker to challenging or easy as the mob grows in size.{{cite web |last1=Crecente |first1=Brian |title='Tonight We Riot' Delivers Socialist Message to the Nintendo Masses |url=https://variety.com/2019/gaming/features/tonight-we-riot-delivers-socialist-message-to-the-nintendo-masses-1203179383/ |website=Variety |access-date=February 13, 2021 |date=April 3, 2019}} The levels end in boss fights ranging from large vehicles operated by the police to the President of the fictional country the game takes place in.{{cite video game |title=Tonight We Riot |developer=Pixel Pushers Union 512 |publisher=Means Interactive |date=February 13, 2021 |platform= |version=1.0 |language=english }}
Plot
The game follows a worker's uprising in a future year of the 21st century that begins in Factory Town, an industrial town in a fictional country. After the uprising takes over Factory Town, they begin pushing through Bootlick Bayou, a logging town, Dockyards, a port and finally the Bowling Green Estates, a wealthy neighborhood which is the capital of this country. The uprising grows in size as it proceeds through each level in each area, inspiring more and more workers along the way. The game concludes with the workers overthrowing their government, implying that an anarcho-syndicalist system is formed in its place.
Development
Tonight We Riot started development around 2016, after Ted Anderson, one of the developers of Pixel Pushers Union 512, developed a smaller game called Radical Rebels which was nominated for the Gamer's Voice award at South by Southwest.{{Cite web |date=December 1, 2020 |title=Behind the Union That Created "Tonight We Riot" |url=https://industrialworker.org/behind-the-union-that-created-tonight-we-riot/ |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=Industrial Worker}} Publishing partners were initially found with New Blood Interactive, who first revealed the game at PAX West 2016,{{Cite web |date=2016-09-01 |title=PAX West 2016: New Blood Interactive To Debut New Games |url=https://popgeeks.com/pax-west-2016-new-blood-interactive-to-debut-new-games/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=POPGeeks |language=en-US}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Faj4zvsOM |title=Tonight We Riot - Reveal Trailer |language=en |publisher=GameStop Trailers |access-date=2022-12-28}} then showed the game off at PAX East in 2019.{{Cite web |author=Brian |date=March 30, 2019 |title=Tonight We Riot coming to Switch |url=https://nintendoeverything.com/tonight-we-riot-coming-to-switch/ |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=Nintendo Everything |language=en}} The game changed publishers to Means Interactive, another worker cooperative as a publisher, as it was "a better fit" for the game and game's message.{{cite podcast |first1=Jake |last1=Flores |first2=Alex |last2=Ptak |first3=Anders |last3=Lee |title=Tonight We Riot w/ Ted & Stephen from Pixel Pusher Union |url=https://soundcloud.com/poddamnamerica/tonight-we-riot-w-ted-stephen-from-pixel-pusher-union |access-date=February 13, 2021 |language=en}}
Reception
Bonus Stage gave the game a positive review, praising the gameplay, story, and message, along with the game's sense of tongue in cheek humor.{{Cite web |last=Baglow |first=Lewis |date=2020-05-10 |title=Tonight We Riot Review {{!}} Bonus Stage is the world's leading source for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, 3DS, Wii U, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, and DS Video Game Reviews with over 5500 in-house reviews to date. |url=https://www.bonusstage.co.uk/archives/165177 |access-date=February 15, 2021 |website=Bonus Stage}} Wireframe also gave the game a positive review, praising the game's crowd control mechanics and that Pixel Pushers live true to their ethos, but criticized the game's short length and difficulty level.{{Cite web |last=Walker-Emig |first=Paul |date=20 August 2020 |title=Tonight We Riot review – a brawler with a socialist ethos |url=https://whynowgaming.com/tonight-we-riot-review-a-brawler-with-a-socialist-ethos/ |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=Why Now Gaming |publisher=Gaming Wireframe |language=en}} Indie game storefront Itch.io featured Tonight We Riot on their "Games of the Month" list for May 2020.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Spencer |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Games of the Month: Tales from Off-Peak City, Samsara Room, and More |url=https://itch.io/blog/149799/games-of-the-month-tales-from-off-peak-city-samsara-room-and-more |access-date=February 13, 2021 |website=itch.io |language=en}} Conservative magazine National Review praised Tonight We Riot{{'}}s gameplay mechanics, describing them as "innovative", but overall gave the game a negative review due to the game's short length and the shared socialist ideology of the developer and publisher, claiming that due to their ideology, they should not sell the game on the Nintendo eShop and Steam.{{cite web |last1=VerBruggen |first1=Robert |title=Antifa: The Video Game |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/video-game-review-tonight-we-riot-disappointing-leftist-propaganda/ |website=National Review |access-date=February 13, 2021 |quote=It's pretty funny that socialists are selling an overpriced product via Nintendo's latest console and the computer-game portal Steam, which is run by the multi-billion-dollar company Valve. |date=May 16, 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official|https://tonightweriot.com/}}
Category:Cooperative video games
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
Category:Nintendo Switch games
Category:Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Category:Socialism in the United States
Category:Video games developed in the United States