You Vs Wild is Netflix’s latest interactive adventure featuring survivalist phenomenon Bear Grylls. The idea for this surely came after the popularity of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. While I am all for Bear Grylls and watching how he survives, climbs things, and eats whatever he finds out there, in the end You Vs Wild is tame.
The series drops Bear and ‘You’ in a number of climates and scenarios such as snowy mountains, the jungles of Central America, and more. The gimmick of it all is that you’re in ‘control’ of his actions. While in reality, it’s already decided how and whatever you do would pretty much be decided already. There’s not much else to it. Oh, and if you were wondering, it’s not at all possible to kill Bear Grylls in the show. No matter how hard I tried, making the worst decisions, he’s too much of a survivor to fall for my tricks. While of course I wouldn’t want him to actually die, it makes it a bit less interesting. I tried guys, I really did.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this guy. I’ve watched him since I was a kid, and while You Vs Wild is entertaining, the choices you make barely makes a difference. Just goes to show that interactivity, and making ‘choices’ might seem fun, but doesn’t always come up with a good experience. Shows which can have actual circumstances, and having it stem out to a myriad of endings, is what makes it good. Bandersnatch was prime example of it. They weren’t the first to do it though. Never forget Goosebumps choose your own adventure books, the original interactive adventure.
