EDINBURGH 2025: Review: LEVEL UP! Gilded Balloon, Patter House

Goldspun Media’s Level Up! begins with a promising burst of nostalgic energy. The familiar chimes of Sonic the Hedgehog’s theme and screen visuals give the impression that the audience is in for a sharp, inventive musical about modern life refracted through the lens of gaming. Unfortunately, what follows feels more like a clunky side quest than a main mission.

The story follows three gamer characters sucked into a game; Jo, who is obsessed with crypto, Raff, who is determined to ethically save an increasingly unsustainable planet; and Bobby, whose exhaustion at the futility of exploration leads him to selling his art work for a quick win. Each has a gaming path to follow, but these threads never truly intertwine or develop. The audience is told of their goals rather than shown who they truly are or why they matter, which leaves little room to care or invest in their personal journeys.

There are moments of conceptual wit – Jo inventing a “Jo-ken” in place of a token box, a jaunty number asking “is it real or is it cake”, but they land as isolated gags rather than pieces of a coherent whole. Songs about crypto creators and environmental offsetting to forget, flirt with satire, yet do not cut deep. The musical numbers are pleasant enough, with good harmonies from a committed cast who are doing their best, but the musical lacks the hooks or lyrical bite needed to carry the show’s concept.

A central message about the costs of gaming warns about gambling with bitcoin and the fragility of the winning and losing dynamic. The loss of real-world connection surfaces only in the final moments, when the game is literally unplugged. It is a striking image and arguably the best part of the production, but by then the journey feels hollow.

Despite a stylish opening and occasional flashes of humour, Level Up! never quite finds its way to the next stage. It remains stuck in a loop, offering hints of potential, but failing to deliver a truly rewarding playthrough.

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