The newest title debuting on Netflix Games is Thronglets, a virtual pet adventure inspired by Tamagotchis that unfolds a narrative layered within gameplay. This intriguing game, set in the Black Mirror world, requires players to nurture and develop whimsical digital creatures known as Thronglets. While tending to these adorable beings, keep in mind that their capabilities extend beyond merely occupying your device.
Within the Black Mirror narrative, Thronglets is a long-lost game, initially canceled in 1994 and thought to be gone forever until someone uncovered a way to access it. Successfully fostering numerous Thronglets leads to forming a harmonic Throng, and creating various Throngs allows players to unlock video snippets revealing the story of the game’s enigmatic creator, Colin Ritman. These snippets consist of interviews conducted by Mohan Thakur.
You might recognize the names Colin Ritman and Mohan Thakur; they are characters portrayed by Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry in the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. This connection firmly intertwines Thronglets with the Bandersnatch narrative, raising a thought-provoking question: Just how close do we want to come to bringing Black Mirror’s unsettling scenarios into reality?
The Black Mirror episode featuring Thronglets premieres today, April 10, 2025. Viewers will soon have the chance to watch it for themselves, though it may leave them contemplating whether they truly want to care for their own Thronglets.
As players engage more with the game, they unlock insights from the “Ritman Retrospective.” Netflix describes Thronglets not just as a digital pet simulation but as an exploration of “the depths of human nature and the implications of our digital fixations.” Upon completing the game, participants receive a personality assessment that they can share on social media for comparison. Netflix encourages sharing results using the hashtag #Thronglets, yet even this could feel like a challenge of sorts.
