American Arcadia
A puzzle-platformer about escaping a simulated reality TV town.
American Arcadia, released in 2023, is a puzzle-platformer created by developer Out of the Blue and published by Raw Fury. Its story centers on Trevor Hills, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, who attempts to flee his simulated hometown of Arcadia with assistance from stage technician Angela Solano, voiced by Krizia Bajos.
The game features two playable characters, Trevor and Angela, and shifts between them to change the gameplay style. Trevor’s sections are presented as a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer, while Angela’s are a 3D first-person puzzle-solving experience. When playing as Trevor, the player can use Angela’s abilities to remotely control electrical devices like lights and elevators, with a CCTV camera overlay appearing during these sequences. At one point, the player controls both characters simultaneously, coordinating Trevor’s evasion of enemies with Angela’s selection of correct answers to questions.
The plot unfolds as a documentary, focusing on Trevor, a 28-year-old living a normal life, and Angela, a Walton Media stage technician. Nine days before the main events, Trevor’s friend Augustus “Gus” Rainey goes missing after being selected as an Edge Travel Grant winner—a program that sends citizens on vacations outside Arcadia. Over the following days, Trevor hears hijacked audio devices repeatedly telling him, “Don’t be a fool.”
On the day of the events, Trevor is also chosen for the travel grant. As he enters an elevator, a screen shows a person using the pseudonym Kovacs, warning him not to accept the grant and to run to Arcadia’s backstage. There, Trevor learns that every citizen is part of a reality television show, tracked by thousands of cameras and streamed to digital platforms, hosted by Vivian Walton. Citizens who lose viewership are presumably killed via the Edge Travel Grant. Trevor navigates backstage and skyscrapers, fleeing from travel agents, jumping into a pool, and escaping on the city’s monorail to Grand Hotel Cygnus.
Three days earlier, Kovacs had smuggled an access badge into a suitcase for Trevor to use at the hotel. With Kovacs’ help, Trevor retrieves the badge from a suite, then returns to the surface to board a bus to Arcadia Central Station. The bus breaks down, and travel agents chase him.
Quick Facts
- Title
- American Arcadia
- Genre
- Puzzle-platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
- Developer
- Out of the Blue
- Released
- Windows · November 15, 2023 · Consoles · May 15, 2025
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Director
- Tatiana Delgado
- Publisher
- Raw Fury
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
American Arcadia is set in a simulated hometown called Arcadia, where every citizen is part of a reality television show recorded by thousands of cameras and streamed to digital platforms, hosted by Vivian Walton. Citizens who lose viewership are presumably killed through a program called the Edge Travel Grant. The plot is presented as a documentary, focusing on Trevor Hills, a 28-year-old man, and Angela Solano, a Walton Media stage technician. Nine days before the game's events, Trevor's friend Augustus 'Gus' Rainey goes missing after being selected as an Edge Travel Grant winner. Trevor is repeatedly reminded through hijacked audio devices to 'Don't be a fool'.
On the day of the events, Trevor is selected as another travel grant winner but is warned by an unknown person using the pseudonym Kovacs to run toward the backstage of Arcadia. There, he discovers the truth about the reality show. With Kovacs' help, Trevor navigates backstage areas, skyscrapers, a hotel, and a mall, evading travel agents and security chief Marcus Javert. Kovacs is later revealed to be Angela Solano. Trevor eventually reaches the Arcadia Dome's edge but is captured. He escapes through a sewer and is guided by Angela and a figure called Number Six to Old Arcadia, where the Jingle—an auditory signal that immobilizes residents—is altered to make him brave. Instead of escaping, Trevor returns to press a failsafe button atop the Arcadia Spire to free everyone.
At the spire's top, Vivian Walton reveals that Trevor's escape was a pilot for a spinoff show called 'Escape From Arcadia', and that she was Number Six, one of the six citizens who escaped in January 1992 (the Arcadia Six Breakout) but returned. Trevor chooses a third option: loudly cursing the American Arcadia audience. The credits show Trevor living quietly, he and Angela starting Solano Hills Productions, and Walton Media flourishing. In a post-credits scene, they discover that Escape From Arcadia is ripping off aspects of Trevor's escape.
Reader's Guide
American Arcadia received generally favorable reviews from critics, with a 94% approval rating on OpenCritic. The game is notable for its dual-protagonist gameplay: as Trevor, it is a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer; as Angela, it is a 3D first-person puzzle-solver. While playing as Trevor, the player can use Angela's abilities to remotely interact with electric equipment, shown via a CCTV camera overlay. At one point, the player controls both characters simultaneously, coordinating to avoid enemies as Trevor while answering questions as Angela. The game was developed by Spanish indie studio Out of the Blue, previously known for Call of the Sea. A trailer was released in April 2022, and a demo was presented at the Tribeca Festival Games Spotlight. The full game was released on November 15, 2023. Its concept has been compared to the film The Truman Show.
Did You Know?
- The game's plot is presented as a documentary.
- Six Arcadia-born citizens escaped the city in January 1992, known as The Arcadia Six Breakout.
- Trevor Hills is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, and Angela Solano is voiced by Krizia Bajos.
- The game features a segment where the player controls both Trevor and Angela simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is American Arcadia?
American Arcadia is a 2023 puzzle-platformer in which players help two characters break free from a simulated reality-TV town. The game was developed by Out of the Blue and published by Raw Fury.
Who are the two playable characters in American Arcadia?
The game alternates between Trevor Hills, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, and Angela Solano, a stage technician voiced by Krizia Bajos. Trevor is the resident attempting to escape, while Angela is the behind-the-scenes worker who helps him do so.
How does gameplay change when switching between Trevor and Angela?
Trevor's levels play as a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer, while Angela's sections shift to a 3D first-person puzzle-solving format. This dual perspective lets the player experience the simulated town from both inside the show and behind the production.
What is the central conflict in American Arcadia?
The plot follows Trevor as he tries to flee his artificial hometown of Arcadia, a town built as a reality-television simulation. Angela, working as a stage technician on the production, becomes his unlikely ally in breaking out.
How was American Arcadia received by critics?
The game earned generally favorable reviews on Metacritic upon its 2023 release. Critics highlighted its inventive dual-perspective structure and its satirical take on the reality-TV format.
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