Atchafalaya Arcade captures nostalgia in a series of virtual musical instruments

Atchafalaya Arcade is a pixelated love song to Louisiana made for the Game Boy. It presents three “virtual instruments” for the player to tinker with, creating chiptune musical scales and staticky beats. It’s one of the nominees this year at the IndieCade Festival, a gaming event that’s been showcasing independent games since 2005.

When I played Atchafalaya Arcade, it was at first cryptic. Developer Tammy Duplantis handed me a Super Nintendo controller and told me to hold down “A.” As I did, sound burst from the game and stripes of color streaked across the screen. I used the d-pad to increase or decrease the speed and pitch of the sound. Moving onto another instrument evoked a crunchy chiptune rhythm instead of the sustained tones from before.