Emily examines Ben & Bob.
Released between Act IV and Act V on January 25, 2018, Un Pueblo de Nada is the fourth interlude and shows us the final broadcast of WEVP-TV from the perspective of Emily (Bob and Ben are also present). It takes place an indeterminate amount of time before the Acts. The player is able to explore the station as a storm rages outside just before the evening broadcast. The interlude is named for a video (produced by the show's host Rita) about the, now lost, native people of the area that is shown during the broadcast.
You can also watch a live-action recording of the evening's show at http://wevp.tv/. (Note: The video includes minor elements not found in the game.)
Gameplay[]
Like Limits and Demonstrations and The Entertainment, the story takes places in the round. It advances as the show is recorded, and Emily is able to investigate the studio, explore her own thoughts, and talk to people at various moments during the broadcast. The interlude begins with Maya entering the station as a guest for the evening’s broadcast.
Characters[]
- Rita hosts the show.
- Maya is the guest.
- Ron brings in a tape he calls “Wild”.
- Geoff calls in.
- Bob and Ben “repair” a radio for ghost hunting.
- Moe the crow manages the tape playback.
- Cyrano and Elmo do the weather.
- Nikki enters late in the broadcast to read her poetry.
Background[]
We learn from Act IV, that WEVP-TV was destroyed during a flood and that Weaver’s broadcast interruption was the last thing to air before it’s destruction. The crash sound implies that this is what happens at the end of the interlude, which explains why Emily, Ben, and Bob are experienced as ghosts during the Acts.
Additionally, the game and the ancillary videos make reference to a, then recent, murder of an "out of towner". Nikki's poem at the end of the broadcast and Emily's conversation with Slow Moe the Crow both make reference to it, as do the Aunt Connie PSA's.
Trivia[]
As with Here And There Along the Echo, you can call a phone number (1-270-301-5797) to listen to a recording and leave a message.
When observing Bob and Ben with the radio, they refer to it as a "ghost box" referencing Ghost Box Records. A favorite label of the late cultural theorist Mark Fisher, he wrote about the hauntological qualities of the music released by Ghost Box. The player at one point is given the option to choose between the remarks "Weird." or "Eerie.", a reference to Fisher's final book, The Weird and the Eerie.
The narration of the tape describes (in Spanish) a community of scientifically-minded people called “El Pueblo de Nada”—translated in-game as “The People of Nothing”—who dwelt in the area of the town before its current inhabitants, but whose only legacy is the Video Databank.