RICHMOND, Va. — There's a new way to explore Richmond: one man's passion project has transformed the River City into a nostalgic, spooky-season video game.
Joseph "Tripp" Cannella has launched Small Town RVA, an online game that renders Richmond in 32-bit, Game Boy–style graphics.
As a child, Cannella lost himself in games like Pokémon and dreamed of visiting those virtual places in real life.
"I always wanted to go to places like Palette Town and, you know, actually visit those locations," Cannella said. "I always wondered what it would be like if my own city had this Game Boy version of it."
After five years of work, that idea is now playable.
"It’s meant to be this tiny digital clone of the city in your pocket," he said. "I’m a big fan of the spooky side of Richmond — the haunted history, the folklore that’s buried right under our feet."
The game maps the city so players can wander digital versions of trails, rivers, roads and landmarks.
Cannella is still adding sites where players can interact with historic photos, such as the Monroe Park water fountain and the Church Hill tunnel.
"Small Town RVA is a local game that takes a map of the city and converts it into a little Game Boy-like world where players can wander around and actually see real sights; trails, rivers, roads and even James Monroe’s grave," he said.
Small Town RVA includes vanished landmarks like Pratt's Castle in Oregon Hill and nods to Richmond folklore, including the Richmond Vampire, which also appears in the game’s story mode.
In that mode, players begin at VCU’s Brandt Hall and make their way to some of the city's spookier sites.
"I just wanted to put something together for the city be able to get excited about for, especially for Halloween," Cannella said. "Richmond Vampire is definitely in the game. I mean, he's also connected to the Church Hill tunnel."
The game also offers a GPS feature similar to Pokémon GO so the in-game map can reflect a player's real-world location.
Players can add their own photos, chat with others, and see other players on screen, making the project a social as well as an exploratory experience.
"I think it's just a fun way to get people out there and get them to understand and know the city," Cannella said. "I want it to reflect the people within the city, their stories, their perspectives on Richmond. You can chat with other players, see them on screen, and explore together. It’s a social space as much as it is a game."
Feedback so far has been positive, and Cannella welcomes suggestions to keep the game growing, down to Richmond's little quirks, like chicken wings discarded on city sidewalks.
"Encounter those and there's still some good meat on them. So, maybe it gives you a little bit of a performance boost in the game," Cannella said.
He also hopes to collaborate with art students to create in-game characters and items, expanding the game's local, community-driven feel.
Players can experience this new way to discover Richmond by logging on to SmallTownRVA.com, getting transported to Brandt Hall and starting their exploration.
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