What if the Studio ran like a video game? The whole crew, Nintendoized: ten playable characters and one overworld map, all in 16-bit. This page is an exploration, the first sketch of what a Studio video game could feel like.
Exploratory · Oct 3
THE CHAIRMAN HERO · ORIGIN SKIN
Unlock: start a new game. Dave fifteen years earlier, dark hair, same denim jacket, not a single gray hair. Same Vision Blast, twice the stamina. Every hero has an origin skin, and this one still remembers dial-up.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
THE CHAIRMAN HERO · MAIN CHARACTER
Ability: Vision Blast. Clears the fog of war over any new zone and reveals the path forward. The only character who can enter Chairman's Peak, the hub castle at the center of the map. Everything starts with him pressing start.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
CEO TRAINEE · LOYAL SIDEKICK
Ability: Task Sweep. Auto-completes fetch quests in the Queue Halls, vacuuming up small jobs so the party can focus on bosses. Player two in co-op mode: joins mid-level whenever things pile up.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
THE SINGER · MUSIC POWER-UP
Ability: Song Shield. Her songs heal the whole party and stun nearby enemies. Collect her tracks across the Radio Tower stage to unlock new verses, each one a stronger shield. The heart of the soundtrack, literally.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
CLASS CLOWN · PLAYFUL TRICKSTER
Ability: Prank Portal. Drops whoopee-cushion portals that shortcut through walls and skip boring corridors. Her bunny plush is the save point: hug it to bank your progress. Fastest character on the Short Bus rally track.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
WEB DESIGNER BOT · BUILDER
Ability: Patch Hammer. Repairs cracked platforms and broken bridges in the Broken Link Badlands. Every fixed business website becomes a new walkable tile. Nobody crosses a gap without him.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR · EXPLORER
Ability: Trail Blaze. Unlocks locked gates and reveals hidden zones on the Partnership Peaks. The only character who can recruit NPC allies, and every ally opens a new side quest.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
DATA SCIENTIST · NUMBERS CHARACTER
Ability: Number Sight. His HUD visor reveals hidden stats, coin odds, and enemy weak points. In the Scoreboard Spire, he reads the boss's health bar before the fight even starts. Knowledge is the power-up.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
STUDIO ROBOT · COMPANION
Ability: Idea Spark. Generates one random power-up per level from the Dream Lab, tuned to whatever the party needs most. The gold note by its ear hums louder when a good idea is close.
Run cycle: two frames, full speed.
FINANCE & ACCOUNTING · COIN COLLECTOR
Ability: Coin Magnet. Pulls in every coin on screen and never drops one. Guards the Vault, the endgame money level, where collected coins convert into real Studio upgrades. The richest runs always bring him along.
THE OVERWORLD MAP
One map, every zone. The music studio and its radio tower, the Short Bus on its rally road, the coin fields, and the dashboard castle on the hill. Paths connect them all: this is the world the ten characters share, and the board every future mini-game plays on.
Every great game ships with stuff. The cartridge, the fantasy, and the sprite shelf.
PHYSICAL MEDIA · COLLECTOR'S ITEM
Studio Universe, gold edition. Blow on it before inserting, like nature intended. The label art is the dashboard castle at sunset. Save data: one Chairman's Peak, ten heroes, infinite coins.
THE FANTASY · SOME KID'S BEDROOM
Somewhere, a kid is already speedrunning us. CRT glow, cross-legged on the carpet, three coins from a new record. This is the whole point: the Studio as a game worth finishing.
Fresh from the sprite lab. All original, all extremely collectible.
A golden music-note coin. Collect 100, get a 1-up. The Finance Bot is already hoarding them.
Grab it and Sally's Song Shield doubles for 30 seconds. Flying optional but encouraged.
The classic baddie: a busted website that wobbles toward you. Chadwick's Patch Hammer is its only weakness.
Ten seconds of invincibility and a big goofy grin. Bosses hate this one trick.
A 1-up heart with a guitar pick inside. Heals the whole party and the setlist.
Hit it from below. Could be a coin, could be a power-up, could be a meeting that could have been an email.
Exploration, Oct 3, 2026 · The Studio