Netflix fans can now play Black Mirror's creepy video game Thronglets in real life and for free

Black Mirror fans can now play the creepy video game featured in one of the new season seven episodes for free.

Thronglets, plays a part in one of the new instalments of the hit anthology series. Created by Charlie Brooker, the hit show which first began life on Channel 4, is back on the streaming platform. Specifically, it makes its appearance during the episode titled Plaything which stars former Doctor Who Peter Capaldi.

According to the episode synopsis, an eccentric loner named Cameron harbours an intense obsession with a mysterious '90s video game but is arrested in connection with a grisly cold case. His interrogation soon goes to places the police weren’t expecting.

This game in question is Thronglets and was made by the company that features in the interactive Black Mirror film Bandersnatch, with Will Poulter reprising his character from that release.

According to Netflix, Thronglets is part virtual pet, part village manager, part strategy game, and part existential conundrum. Things get more complicated as you manage an ever-growing population of the little yellow creatures.

On the surface, you are tasked with keeping everyone clean, fed, and exercised, as your population will continue to grow. Upgraded tools and new types of building should make things easier and entice players to continue.

In the world of Black Mirror, the company Tuckersoft were working on the game before deeming it too dangerous and cancelling it. In the real world, the game has been released today (April 10) to coincide with the show's seventh season. It was made by the Netflix owned developer Night School Studios, known for titles such as Oxenfree and Afterparty.

Strangely, the release doesn't seem to be included on the Netflix app itself. The streamer has been testing with a number of games that be played directly through its app, on the TV or in some cases, via a browser.

Instead, players will need to search the Google Play Store of App store they use on their phone or tablet. Searching Black Mirror: Thronglets should bring up the game in the results. Thankfully though, the game is free to download although you will need a Netflix subscription to log in and play.

In true Black Mirror fashion, the game promises to reveal a sinister side the more you play. Netflix says on its Tudum website: "Chopping down trees with your axe and building a surplus of wood takes time and effort. There’s a faster way: bones. All it takes to get across the gap a little faster is a sacrifice or five. Are you a benevolent deity? Or do you not mind if the road to progress is paved with blood-soaked yellow fuzz? That’s for you to decide."

They also point out that players do not need to have seen either the new season or Bandersnatch film to enjoy playing the game. However, there are a number of references that might not be as impactful if players go in completely blind.

Black Mirror season seven is streaming on Netflix.