What I have for you today is a re-imagining of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog in 8-bit form. Not sure how this passed under my radar for so long, but I want to be sure it doesn’t fly under your radar too. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was the creation of Joss Whedon and his clan that debuted in 2008. Set up as a musical that followed the aspiring supervillain’s struggles, the blog was part comedy, part romance, and part tragedy. Featuring the talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion, the creation became a huge success. No real surprise given Joss Whedon’s status as a paragon of all things geek; even if the show didn’t receive a massive popular following, it was a lock to attain cult status. The man created and wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, which is the geek equivalent of sainthood.
Dr. Octoroc, who is responsible for the 8-bit version, is a Philadelphia based Artist/Musician who is a self-described classic video game enthusiast. The influence is certainly clear in the work on his website, and all of it is impressive. 8-bit Dr. Horrible is equally amazing, from the over-world map and NPC conversations, down to its RPG fights and 8-bit soundtrack of all the songs from the blog. My only warning before watching: 8-bit Dr. Horrible is long, clocking in at over 30 minutes of retro-styled goodness. You won’t want to stop watching once you start, so make sure you don’t have any appointments or anything to keep.
Maybe we’ll get a fully playable version before Whedon finishes the Dr. Horrible sequel? Or maybe a playable version of the sequel? We can hope.
