It’s curious that within a few weeks of each other, two gameshows that are related to a popular franchise have been released – 007: Road to a Million and Squid Game: The Challenge. Could this be a new trend we see as we move into 2024? It likely depends on the success of these two shows. We already talked about the achievements and shortcomings of 007: Road to a Million, but how does Squid Game: The Challenge stack up?
What’s The Concept of ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’?
In Squid Game: The Challenge, 456 players compete for a cash prize of $4.56 million, which is said to be the largest in reality television history. The contestants are given various challenges, all of them based on children’s games that, in any other context, would seem very harmless and non-threatening. However, anyone who watched the original Korean series, Squid Game, knows that these children’s games are all potentially deadly.
The games range from red light green light, where contestants have to move toward the finish line while evading the watchful eye of a giant lifesize doll, to a giant version of Battleship with people in the boats. Contestants are kept on edge, made fully aware that double-crossing is an expected part of gameplay and eliminations can happen at any time.
It’s Compulsively Watchable
We went into this one skeptical but optimistic, and we have to say, Squid Game: The Challenge delivers more than we could have imagined. From the jump, the concept seems misguided – how do you turn a show where the drama is derived from the fact that losing contestants are literally eliminated into a high-stakes game show when we all know no one is going to actually die? It seems the answer is to make it so much fun that no one cares – oh, and offer the contestants an insane amount of money.
While the show isn’t as tense when contestants are eliminated via exploding die packs built into their jumpsuits, it doesn’t feel like it matters at the end of the day, because Squid Game: The Challenge succeeds on the fronts where 007: Road To A Million fails the most – it’s inextricably linked to the franchise it’s named after, aesthetically and at the very core of the gameplay. Additionally, the editing is slick and immersive, giving us plenty of time to get to know the various contestants and (hopefully) care about their successes and failures.
Who Should Watch?
Anyone who’s ever enjoyed a game show might like this, even if they didn’t enjoy the Squid Game series. While they’re linked at the core, they also feel incredibly different (if only because Squid Game: The Challenge has a complete lack of death). As of now, only the first five episodes have been released, and no one knows who won the $4.56 million yet. We can expect the following four episodes to drop on November 29, with the series finale coming on December 6. Time to get in on the fun and ask yourself, who do you think will win the $4.56 million? Our bet is on the mother-son duo.
Squid Game: The Challenge is streaming now on Netflix.