Deconstructeam seems obsessed with delving into human emotions and moral quandaries in unconventional settings. Whether it’s via the tarot-reading witch Fortuna, who predicts the future with pinpoint accuracy, or the cyberpunk bartender and corporate conspiracy debunker Denovan, what lies at the heart of their games is an exploration of complex ethics and emotions. I’m talking, of course, about the team’s biggest hits: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood and The Red Strings Club.
If the descriptions of those two games intrigued you even the slightest bit and you haven’t played them yet, then your weekend plans are sorted.
But if you’ve already experienced those titles and are wondering if there’s more of Deconstructeam to gobble up, then boy, do I have something in store for you. And here’s the best part: it won’t cost you a dime.
Over on itch.io, Deconstructeam branded De Tres al Cuarto “a deckbuilding comedy game about a couple of small-time comedians.”
And that it is. In De Tres al Cuarto, you build a deck of cards, and you are, in fact, a comedian. Very small-time. The audience just coughs awkwardly after your jokes.
But it’s also a deep, straightforward, pixel exploration into the mind of the frustrated, unsuccessful artist.
Maybe not everyone can relate to being a witch in a cabin lost in the vastness of a witch-dominated galaxy – but grappling with the question of whether to bother pursuing something you’re not good at hits pretty close to home.
Just For The Laughs
When you boot up De Tres al Cuarto, you’re greeted by two black screens: one delving into the significance of the Spanish title, and the other informing you that the game will last precisely 90 minutes. No other game has ever been more respectful of my time.
The game’s name, in case you’re wondering, is inspired by a Spanish phrase implying something’s “cheap” or “of little worth.” It’s so inexpensive, that you could snag three for a quarter.
I love it when Deconstructeam does this. The name The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood hints at the ethical quandaries explored by this group of cosmic witches. But it takes you a while to uncover that.
Why is that other game called The Red Strings Club? Well, it’s not about knitting, I’ll tell you that much.
Existential Crisis 101
De Tres al Cuarto is named after a self-branded “terrible” stand-up comedy duo. They’re so bad people wouldn’t pay much to see them. And they don’t have to, since they’re the openers for a bigger, “real” artist.
Every night they take the on stage and hope to get through their script of jokes without getting too many awkward coughs, silences, or forced laughs.
Your job is to use your deck of cards to make people laugh. In contrast to The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, you won’t be crafting a complex tarot deck here. Instead, your comedy deck comprises only Poor joke cards, Build lines cards, Punch lines cards, and, worst of all, Blank cards.
Armed with this limited toolset, your goal is to elicit a genuine laugh or two from a tough crowd. The more laughter you evoke, the more coins you earn. I don’t know what this says about me or my sense of humor, but I never managed to squeeze more than three coins per night out of them.
Let’s Break a Leg
The comedy show is just a backdrop, though—a device to better bring forth the themes of creative self-worth and imposter syndrome.
The real stars of Deconstructeam’s De Tres al Cuarto are Garza and Bonachera, the comedic duo whose lives you’ll be bettering or worsening by the end of this 10-night opening show gig.
They’re like oil and water, these two. Garza’s lustrous, long blond locks stand in stark contrast to Bonachera’s presumably receding hairline and terrible nose bug. But that’s a huge part of the appeal.
After every performance, our dynamic duo steps offstage, and amidst the backstage shadows, Garza lets out a dramatic, soul-crushing sigh, bemoaning their apparent failure, while Bonachera turns to him, unfazed, and nonchalantly asks, “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”
What they do tonight is up to you, the player. Don’t worry, their nightly escapades won’t deplete your meager stash of coins—all three of them. Fully aware of the paltry earnings comedy provides, their post-show agendas typically revolve around budget-friendly activities like hitting up a dive bar, strolling along the beach, or simply chilling in their modest hotel room.
Their exchanges veer from profound to lighthearted in the blink of an eye. Garza’s playful jabs at Bonacera’s antiquated ways, like his lack of gaming prowess, are met with Bonacera’s ribbing about how two gay men went “straight to the hotel” while staying at a paradisiacal, Mediterranean island.
Yes, I Said Two Gay Men
Bonacera and Garza are both gay. But they’re not the same kind of gay.
Their banter often reflects their generational contrasts, with Bonacera teased as an “old geezer” and Garza playfully hailed as the “young stud.” Maybe Garza got steamed over that dealer joke but played it cool. Or perhaps there’s more to Bonacera’s roommate story than what meets the eye. This section gives you the juicy deets, so you can get even more cozy with these two before they hit the stage again.
These two dudes aren’t exactly comedy gold, with their jokes swinging from cringe to belly laugh-worthy at most. They aren’t going be the next big thing selling out arenas and they’d probably have two likes on TikTok. But hey, that’s the charm of De Tres al Cuarto—it’s as real as it gets.
Eyes forward
De Tres al Cuarto shares the same DNA every Deconstructeam game has. It’s a project they worked on while recovering from a pandemic burnout in 2020.
It’s personal and intimate, even more so because they’re letting you into their content without asking for anything in return. It’s a testament to their quality and commitment to crafting genuine stories.
It’s certainly enough to whet my appetite for more Deconstructeam. Luckily, there’s a whole bunch of their stuff out there, past and future. Their Essays on Empathy collection alone dishes out 10 of their games. Plus, they’re diving into their first-ever 3D project. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get emotionally wrecked by those extra polygons.
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