‘Obex’ boots up an early moment of computer escapism with nightmarish panache

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If you grew up with early personal computers – when they went from fun gadgets to something we couldn’t live without – then “Obex” is a retro-horror game that will likely appeal to you. It’s a nostalgic and slightly unsettling experience.

Albert Birney’s film, “Obex,” is a nostalgic and visually striking black-and-white story that blurs the lines between reality and the early days of 8-bit video games. It’s not a warning about technology, but a sweetly unsettling and inventive look back at when screens first began to captivate us, acknowledging both the excitement and potential downsides of that new obsession.

In 1987, Conor, a man in his thirties, lives a secluded life in Baltimore. He happily spends his days playing games on his old Macintosh computer, watching TV on a stack of VCRs, and caring for his dog, Sandy. When Mary arrives each week with his groceries, he prefers to keep the door closed. The loud buzzing of cicadas outside only reminds him that he prefers the droning sound of his printer, which creates artwork from keyboard symbols for paying customers.

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We’re halfway through the festival, and some common themes are starting to appear, like the impact of technology on connection and the special bond people have with their pets. Dev Patel, Steven Yeun, and Rachel Sennott are also becoming standout figures.

The magazine ad for his services also featured a new interactive game called Obex, promising an immersive experience. Conor submitted an audition video and received a floppy disk in return, showing a pixelated version of himself with a castle, horse, and sword, challenging him to defeat a fearsome demon named Ixaroth or face being eaten. That night, his already unsettling dream about his mother in the backseat of his car was interrupted by the printer unexpectedly running, churning out pages that simply repeated the phrase “Remove Your Skin.”

Conor quickly discovers the true cost of entering the game when his dog goes missing. Rescuing her requires him to fully enter Obex, a fantasy world filled with princesses, magical potions, knights, skeletons, and a terrifying demon king. Despite being made by a small, independent team, the game has a unique visual style – think simple but charming countryside scenery, unpretentious outfits, and delightfully retro special effects like burns and glows – the kind you might now call handcrafted.

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What’s remarkable is how powerfully Birney’s homemade, dreamlike world creates a flipped state of mind – a world existing outside of Conor’s own inner thoughts. This journey isn’t without risks, but it helps Conor learn to interact with others, specifically through a strange character named Victor (Frank Mosley) who has a television for a head and a disturbingly simple idea of paradise: just watching people. It’s a bit unsettling, isn’t it?

“Obex” seems to explore the contrast between reality and simulation, but it might also be about how we balance choosing to be alone with connecting to the world through technology. Even if those connections don’t always work out well, it doesn’t necessarily mean they were always bad or harmful in the past.

Birney isn’t under any illusions. While his story features a quirky, solitary hero, it’s also filled with frightening imagery. The sound design cleverly mixes old-fashioned electronic sounds with a sense of innocence. “Obex” also suggests that technology can empower us, rather than control us, as long as we remember we have the choice to disconnect.

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2026-01-16 10:01