Techno Banter makes you a bouncer in a weird world

Surf or turf

Crunching Koalas and Dexai Arts have shown off their narrative bouncer game Techno Banter, which is coming to PC and consoles sometime this year.

I think Techno Banter is a narrative game, but none of the press material tells me how it describes itself. The trailer that dropped alongside the announcement at least points to this. There’s some first-person movement and talking to people, but no sign of, say, puzzles or combat. It mixes 3D environments with 2D pixel art characters, and the aesthetic is inspired by the Berlin techno scene.

Techno Banter casts you as a bouncer at a club. The gameplay focuses on deciding who to let through to enjoy the club and who to throw to the turf. Everywhere I look, Techno Banter keeps pointing out its “witty” dialogue. I’m not putting that in quotes to be disparaging. That’s actually how they describe it in the press release.

Constantly pointing to your own humor is a bit of a red flag for me. If you’re funny, you don’t have to tell people you’re funny. I don’t tell people I’m funny, but that’s mostly because it would be flagrantly incorrect.

The trailer doesn’t really show off any of this dialogue or even imply that it’s going for the humorous approach. However, it does show off an excellently executed aesthetic. I guess what I’m saying is I’m curious. I may not have a very clear idea of what Techno Banter wants from me, but I’m willing to give it a look.

Techno Banter is coming to PC and consoles sometime in 2023