The Polybius Conspiracy (Coming soon: The Skies Are Watching) Jon Frechette, Todd Luoto
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- Fiction
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Originally heard on Radiotopia's Showcase, THE POLYBIUS CONSPIRACY tells the story of a mysterious arcade game from the '80s whose alleged existence in the Pacific Northwest is fueled by a blending of fact and fiction.
** Coming soon: THE SKIES ARE WATCHING. A new podcast from the creators of THE POLYBIUS CONSPIRACY & THE INCIDENT AT ONG'S HAT. Launches July 5th via BBC Radio 4. **
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Episode One: The Player
An investigation into the origins of the Polybius legend leads to Bobby, who claims the game was responsible for his abduction as a teenager. In the thirty-five years since, Bobby has remained steadfast with his story, going so far as to organize a for-profit walking tour while obsessively searching for the one person he believes could corroborate his allegations. Local players from the Portland arcade scene cast doubt on Bobby’s story, as do journalists who refute the game as ever having existed.
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Episode Two: The Missing
As a man comes forward to potentially corroborate Bobby's story, the path forward plunges into the darkness of another Oregonian legend: the infamous Shanghai Tunnels.
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Episode Three: The Cassette
The search for answers leads the team to a retired journalist with a bizarre connection to Coin Kingdom, and unsettling allegations of abuse at an international youth academy.
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Episode Four: The Rewind
Sometimes journalists pursue a mystery; other times, it pursues them. An unexpected phone call from Naomi Halbrook leads to more revelations, while a competing documentary project about Polybius leads to conflict.
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Episode Five: The Seller
New clues about the whereabouts of Rubin's missing partner shed light on secrets Bobby might prefer stay hidden. The team looks into how one might go about vetting the authenticity of a Polybius cabinet.
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Episode Six: The Code
Questions about Bobby result in a surprising lead, as Rubin comes to believe he's cracked the code on Polybius.
Customer Reviews
Amazing
This series was amazing! I don’t know what’s real anymore
Great
Great but come on I need more
Don’t bother
I really wanted to like this show. I tried to give it every benefit I could. I had my suspicions going into it, that it would be unsatisfying, but I was hoping that if that were true, the journey at least would be memorable. But I was wrong. This is one of those podcasts that I will no doubt completely forget about in less than a week.
This whole show plays like a rough draft. The story is all over the place, with only the thinnest of threads, connecting one episode to the next. The story would certainly have benefited from a few more revisions.
And then there’s the story itself. Be prepared to have absolutely none of your questions answered. I expect this to a degree, but I was hoping that some of it at least would come together. But no, it didn’t. The show asked me to go on a journey, and I really felt like we ended right where we began. The show also has a nasty habit of asking its audience questions instead of answering them. And this trend continues through until the final minutes of the final episode.