The video game rock and roll Milwaukee now available on Nintendo Switch

Go back and read that headline again.

Isn’t it wonderful to live in an age where such things are possible? When one of the more than 143 million people around the world who own a Nintendo Switch can – in moments – buy, download and play a game that doubles as a tour of the Milwaukee music scene?

Let’s put aside the amazement for a second and explain a few things. Almost four years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, Milwaukee musician and homebrew wizard Jordan Davis launched Space Raft: The Video Game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Not the switch. Not even the GameCube. The Nintendo Entertainment System, which debuted in 1983 and has since been succeeded by six home consoles.

Davis did this because, as mentioned earlier, he belongs to a subset of video game enthusiasts who retain a deep affection for previous consoles and have the unique skill set required to produce what are called homebrew games. Space raft is one of those games.

The idea was to create a NES game featuring the now-defunct Milwaukee band Space Raft, of which Davis was a member. Like many passion projects, this launched in earnest with a Kickstarter in July 2020 and received a relatively immediate response. Within 15 hours, Davis reached her funding goal and soon added stretch goals that resulted in a poster and t-shirt.

The game itself hinges on a fairly simple narrative: Space Raft must retrieve the master tapes for their new album since, Positively space raftfrom former bass player Srini Radhakrishna. To do this, you drive the band van, eat chicken sandwiches and other food, and control any of the four band members, each with unique abilities:

• Jordan Davis – ferocious fire attack
• John Heibler – Fists of Rage
• Tyler Chicorel – brutal bomb explosions
• Tjay Christenson – bowling ball

To give you some classic gaming touchstones, there’s a sandwich/item collecting mechanic that feels Pac-Man-esque, an exploration of Humboldt Park similar to the original. The Legend of Zeldaand driving portions reminiscent of operating the party wagon in a mischievous challenge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game.

Since you can only learn so much from a trailer, Davis was kind enough to provide a download code so I could try out the game and report back. The thing that stands out more than anything is the affection for Milwaukee that practically oozes off the screen. Venues like the Cactus Club and Rushmor Records are lovingly recreated, while local celebrities like Mark Waldoch and Milwaukee record the boys make appearances (and our very own Erin Wolf!). It’s as much an ode to the city as anything else.

The gameplay is no joke either. I quickly gravitated towards Tjay’s bowling skills, which allowed me to attack from a distance and breeze through the early levels without too much difficulty. The one that ended up catching me was a trip to Green Bay during which Srini blew my van into oblivion.

Even blowing up is a pleasant experience thanks to the chiptune soundtrack. In fact, that’s how the project began – with Davis creating bleep-bloop versions of songs from Positively space raft. They’re remarkably complex pieces of craftsmanship, as indispensable as local landmarks to creating the overall feel of the game.

If you have an 8-bit itch to scratch or just want to see Vanguard in action again, Space raft it is available to download now for Nintendo Switch.