Review: Banana Chan’s TTRPG ‘Sample’ Asks Us To Chase One More Hit
by Anton Kromoff
Summary
In a world that would have us ask soulless constructs for scrap images and off-putting vocals, Banana Chan’s Sample asks us to craft music and a journey that makes us actually feel something and allows us to sit in the joy and horror of the creative process through the lens of someone whose life and very sense of self depend on the art they make and how they make it.
Overall
10/10Welcome to the table,
There is something really cool about stories that explore the darker side of creativity. Creation, like birth or death, can be a joyous occasion, something that can be celebrated and revered. However, those who have worked in the creative space and see the darker corners of the world that are under the surface also understand that, much like birth and death, it can be a scary, bloody, and terrifying affair.
One of the most creatively dialed-in individuals in the industry, Banana Chan, who is, full disclosure, one of my friends but also someone I’m in constant awe of, has brought yet another solo horror TTRPG to the table. And I think it’s absolutely phenomenal.
Sample is a solo journaling TTRPG that takes players into the world of EDM, a landscape of inspiration, desperation, and the need to leave your mark before your track runs out.
I’m already a fan of the folklore concepts of a “cursed” song, so I’m incredibly excited that Banana Chan leans into that theme. Along with that is a blend of the late 90s club landscape with a bit of humor and the very real quagmire of being a business person and a creative at the same time.
The player takes on the role of a musician heading towards the start of the new millennium with a massive opportunity in front of them. Having gotten a spot on a major stage in Times Square for the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, you have the perfect chance for a fresh start and a way to claim your space in the industry. Where the worry comes in is that you have the tabloids hanging over your head, saying you have nothing new, nothing of value to give, and you are destined to repeat what you have done since your early days in the space.
All of these vibes and the weight of the creative process drip from the pages of this TTRPG. The most interesting part of it all is that Banana Chan not only asks us to journal and reflect on this, but to create music for the protagonist ourselves.
If that last statement felt like a record scratch, it’s okay. Stick with me. The game teaches you how to play; you are in good hands, and in truth this is the brilliance and artistry that Banana Chan brings to the table. We are not only asked to explore the space as if we are in a TTRPG, thinking from another character’s perspective, but we are also invited, much like the first two instalments of the Mephistopheles Trilogy, to craft actual art as we play.
In a world that would have us ask soulless constructs for scrap images and off-putting vocals, Banana Chan’s Sample asks us to craft music and a journey that makes us actually feel something. It allows us to sit in the joy and horror of the creative process through the lens of someone whose life and very sense of self depend on the art they make and how they make it.
Sample is intended for adults and, at its core, can go to some distressing places. Obsession, ambition, and the ugly nature of making art in the world can come into full view as the role you take on is someone who is deeply flawed, with a laundry list of perspectives that may not align with your own. I, for one, think Neville is kinda awful, but in this practically solo TTRPG, it really works as you lumber towards the final beat drop.
You are going to come face to face with some really dark themes in Sample, including xenophobia, homophobia, self-mutilation, suicide, body horror, substance use, manipulation, and more. If you are a fan of Faust, The Substance, and American Psycho, you will feel right at home in these pages, though you may take something truly changing away from this transformative experience.
Until next time, Banana Chan is out here making some of the most creative, artful games in the space and is a constant source of inspiration and joy. As someone who spent a great deal of time in art school, who has lived in this world, and who knows the archetypes that appear in these works, she has done an exemplary job of capturing the feeling of creation and destruction that comes with being in this world.
