Broken Records: The Phantom's Playlist is a darkly humorous twist on the classic "whodunit" mystery, inviting players to solve the tragic tale of Norman, a hapless soul trapped in an antique jukebox. Guided by a narrator, players journey through three pivotal points in time—a bustling jukebox factory, a lively pub, and an eerie jukebox museum—piecing together the events that led to Norman’s untimely demise and eternal imprisonment in vinyl purgatory.

At each location, players are presented with eight possible interactions, each containing a clue. But there’s a catch: you’ll only receive three clues per episode. Armed with these fragments of the past, players must unravel the mystery. Solve it, and Norman is set free; get it wrong, and he remains a prisoner of the jukebox, waiting for another detective to take the case.

Playful, irreverent, and steeped in nostalgia, the game draws heavily on cultural touchstones from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s, creating a richly atmospheric world laced with dark comedy.

The project came to life through a combination of storytelling, technical experimentation, and DIY ingenuity. Starting with three short stories set in each era, I developed a script and branching narrative, illustrated and animated the characters and settings, and used Isadora, a multimedia tool for creating interactive digital experiences, to construct the interactions.

The game is housed in an antique jukebox console, which I outfitted with microprocessors, relays, and custom elements to create an immersive experience. These include a network of buttons, lighting, and a smoke machine for added atmosphere. One of the more unique features is a DIY "down fogger," built using a refrigeration module and repurposed parts from a smoke machine. This not only enhances the spooky aesthetic but also adds a playful nod to the ingenuity behind the build.

Equal parts playful and spine-tingling, Broken Records: The Phantom's Playlist is an unforgettable mystery that challenges players to think, laugh, and immerse themselves in a world where the past haunts the present—quite literally.

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