Magical realism as we all know it is of course a style of fiction and literary genre that paints a realistic view of the modern world while also adding magical elements. We are pretty confident though, that it may as well apply to games! And we like to think that, in a way, The Amazing American Circus is a game set in a magical realism environment.
The end of the 19th century, the so-called Gilded Age, was not a great time to be alive. Sure, the economy was booming, the technology was evolving with each day, and clever inventors and slick businessmen were every day doing all they could to shape the new tomorrow.
But what about the rest of the folks? The poor farmers making their living on a barren land somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the immigrants working nearly 24/7 in factories, the frontiersmen with no new frontiers awaiting their conquest? For them there was no gold in Gilded; there was hardly any other color than the greyness of their harsh reality.
But then there was the CIRCUS...
The circus brought lights and laughter and music, glamour, art, and magic. The circus was it’s own little pocket universe, with its own laws, both those governing the people and those of nature - even the laws of gravity couldn’t affect the artists soaring high in the air of the big top. The circus brought the essence of what dreams and fairytales are made of - but it was real. That was its beauty; for a few moments, you could leave the harsh reality behind and touch the magic.
The juxtaposition of these two things, the harsh reality, and the fairy-tale magic is the basis for the atmosphere of The Amazing American Circus. The world is a tough place to live in and there might be danger lurking behind every corner. Someone might break into your cart and steal food or money; no money and food mean angry and hungry artists, and badly performing artists mean a circus on the brink of falling apart.
But every bad thing has its opposite good thing too. Even a hungry Illusionist might astonish the audience, same as an angry Snake Charmer might still charm the audience. In the end, it all depends on your skills and whether you manage to carve yourself a path through the harsh reality. After all, this is the circus - it has its own rules. And after all - this is an adventure; your adventure.
So, how about following the rumors about a bigfoot living in the nearby mountains? Your freakshow sure could use such a famous critter. And how about helping that strange man planning a train heist? You do have a genius counting chicken, it might be capable of cracking a safe code in no time...
Of course, the audience doesn’t care about your adventures. They didn’t come here to listen to your stories about the fantastic times you’ve had, no. In fact, many of them traveled hundreds of miles, just to see your circus perform! And all the time they have is just a few hours…
So, don’t be surprised if the people on the bleachers don’t seem too happy to be there at the beginning of the show. They are tired, they are disgruntled, they see the world as a tough, unwelcoming place. But they want you to change that. Sure, they might throw a tomato at you or two; normally, an artist has to suffer for their art. What matters is that by the end of the show, when they’re leaving the big top, there are smiles on their faces - smiles that will remain there no matter how hard is the work they have to return to.
And while they return to work, your own job in the given place is done - and the dusty trail awaits you, and with it many more fantastic adventures.
In this mix of reality and magic, you’ll see it all: cowboys and genius inventors; your biggest fans and your greatest enemies; strange lights in the sky and even stranger creatures hiding in the thicket by the side of the road; small ghost towns and huge metropolises.
The circus performance is like a day-dream - it cuts into the harsh reality, puts a smile on one’s face - and then it’s gone, in a blink of an eye.