The Netflix collection that I’m presently unable to tear myself away from caught me fully without warning. It’s the streamer’s new Korean actuality competitors collection The Satan’s Plan, during which 12 contestants — together with poker gamers, avid gamers, actors, and even one Ok-pop idol — reside collectively in a swanky home whereas making an attempt to outwit one another in a collection of maddeningly sophisticated video games. Along with the video games, in addition they gather and commerce gold items; type alliances; and work towards increase a pot of cash that one winner will finally go dwelling with.
Have I discussed but that the collection of video games they play as The Satan’s Plan progresses are ridiculously complicated? Let’s take a look at only one instance, a sport the present calls “Fragments of Reminiscence.”
A large image is unfolded and introduced to the gamers. They’ve 20 minutes to huddle over it and research the small print. It’s a scene in a hospital, and the gamers are supposed to zero in on the tiniest nuances. What day is it? The calendar says the twenty seventh … wait a minute, in response to this clock, the surgical procedure on this room over right here has already been happening so lengthy that two days have elapsed. Guys, take a look at this wall of division head names, they’ll in all probability ask us one thing from that that. Take a look at what she’s holding in her palms. Take a look at colours of the staff uniforms (you get the concept).
Okay, now time is up. The gamers are despatched away to a separate room. One after the other, they arrive again into the principle space to reply 10 questions on that image. If the participant will get the query appropriate, they maintain going and reply the subsequent query. If the participant doesn’t know the reply, they will cross … however they’re then moved off to a separate room, out of competition, and a brand new participant is introduced in. If all 10 questions are answered accurately, 50 million Korean gained (round $37,000) is added to the pot. In the event that they reply only a single query incorrectly … no cash in any respect.
Whoever designed these video games in The Satan’s Plan, you come to comprehend, is fiendishly intelligent. As I famous above, in “Fragments of Reminiscence” gamers understand that there’s no level in taking a stab at a query that they’re undecided about, once they can simply cross with no consequence. Besides … if too many gamers cross, that leaves fewer gamers to try to guess the remaining questions accurately. And lest all this sound a little bit wonkish, imagine me — give The Satan’s Plan a attempt, and shortly sufficient you’ll end up caught up within the drama and screaming on the TV such as you’re watching a horror film in a theater (“Don’t do it!” “Are you kidding me??” “Why?!?!”).
Examples of different video games embrace a “guidelines race,” the place gamers transfer sport items round a large board, and the primary one to cross the end line wins. The catch: The items transfer in response to guidelines that the gamers themselves created. A few of the guidelines had been meant to function countermeasures, whereas different guidelines merely supercharge a participant’s personal sport. In one other turn-based sport, in the meantime, gamers have to determine who amongst them has been designated a “terrorist” and who’s an “peculiar citizen,” and to take action earlier than the “terrorists” have “killed” everybody.
Two sorts of matches happen every day: A prize match, the place gamers compete for gold items, and a foremost match — the purpose of which is to get rid of a participant. And actually, there’s not a lot else to say about The Satan’s Plan, aside from reiterating that it is a Korean collection. Which, come to consider it, appears to be just about the one mark of 100% assured high quality that appears to exist on Netflix anymore.
