Kanye Quest 3030
Thumbnail of YouTube video from videogamedunkey
Developer(s)Phenix
EngineRPG Maker
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • WW: July, 2013
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Kanye Quest 3030 is a role-playing video game[1][2][3][4] published on July 22, 2013[5] for Windows PCs.[1][6] The game was unlicensed and unauthorised by musical artist Kanye West.[1][4][2] It was created in RPG Maker by artist Clara Hope under the username "Phenix".[1][5] The game describes itself as a hip hop-themed science fiction 2D role-playing game.[2][3]

Plot and gameplay

In the year 2010, Kanye West takes out his garbage before tripping and falling into a portal, which brings him to the year 3030. The United States has become a dystopian society ruled by a clone of rapper Lil B claiming himself to be a god. A prophecy exists, claiming that Kanye West would return one day and overthrow Lil B. With this knowledge, Kanye West travels this dystopian society and teams up with other musicians such as MF DOOM, 2Pac and RZA to fight to free America. Along the way they are challenged by other musicians such as Eminem, Nicki Minaj, De La Soul and LL Cool J. Upon completing the game, Kanye West gets sent back to 2010, where it is revealed that he dreamed the whole story after tripping onto the pavement and passing out.

The game was played similarly to the Pokémon series. Each rapper has their own special moves and abilities based on in-jokes within the rapping community. The player is challenged by different rappers wandering the streets and must defeat them to level up and progress in the game.[6]

Ascensionism

In 2015, a pastebin article revealed that if the player typed in the word "Ascend" into a dialogue box with a NPC, the player would be taken to a secret section of the game.[7][8][9] In this secret section, the game would claim that the rest of the game's contents was a front for the area, and that the area was designed to "help teach you something beneficial". The section is full of terminals, and the player must enter a specific code into each one in order to complete the area. If the player goes backwards, they will enter a room with a QR code which has to be screen captured at multiple points in order to form the whole code. The website linked to the QR code had nothing but the name “Phoenix Gregory” placed on the screen in a comic sans font. After inputting all of the needed codes, the player would be teleported to a final terminal that would congratulate them on their ascension, and then prompt for another code. Upon entering the correct code and agreeing to participate further, the player would then be asked for their private information.[8]

This was theorized by some to be connected to a group called Ascensionism that entered urban legend around the same time as the game being released.[5] Ascensionism has been described as a cult that believes in reincarnation and that was apparently hoping to recruit more members with Kanye Quest. They were rumored to have connections with record labels such as "Ascensionism Records", which was later revealed to be co-owned by Hope.[9][5][10]

Another game would be connected to a group called Calypso in which the player completes tasks around a house while voicemails intended for the group played in the background. It is generally assumed these voicemails were taken directly off the hotline which was referenced in the original game. However, there was little else in terms of information about the Ascensionists in Calypso.[5]

Until 2022, it was generally presumed that this was part of an abandoned alternate reality game, or ARG.

Identity of creator

Until 2022, the creator of Kanye Quest 3030 was only known by the username "Phenix". In September and October 2022, Australian comedians Cameron James and Alexei Toliopoulos released a six-episode web series titled Finding Yeezus,[11] which revealed that the creator of the game was Clara Hope, a musician and artist from Adelaide who made Kanye Quest 3030 as a high school project. She revealed the Ascensionism portion of the game was originally planned as a separate work before it was combined into Kanye Quest. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gibsone, Harriet (26 July 2013). "Kanye West stars in unauthorised video game, Kanye Quest 3030". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Stutz, Colin (25 July 2013). "Kanye West Fights Foes with Croissants in New, Unauthorized Video Game". Hollywood reporter. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 Coplan, Chris (5 June 2013). "Play the Kanye West-inspired RPG, Kanye Quest 3030". Consequences of sound. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 Mcmillian, Graeme (26 July 2013). "Kanye Quest 3030 Turns the World of Yeezy Into an Amazing Videogame". Wired. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Breslin, Richard (17 January 2020). "Meet The Kanye West Game That Could Be Linked To A Cult". Gamebyte. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 Kramer, Kyle (30 August 2013). "Everything You Need to Know About Kanye Quest 3030, the Kanye West Video Game". Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "Was the Kanye Quest rpg a recruiting tool for a Cult?". 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  8. 1 2 Hernandez, Patricia (15 May 2015). "For two years the Kanye West rpg has been hiding a Disturbing secret". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Down the Rabbit Hole: Kanye Quest". Plus one player. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. 1 2 "Finding Yeezus - Gaming's Biggest Mystery Solved: Meet The Creator of Kanye Quest 3030 [Finale]". YouTube. 2022-10-24. Archived from the original on 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  11. ↑ Innes, Ruby (2022-09-30). "Finding Yeezus Is A 6-Part Deep Dive Into Kanye Quest 3030, The Weirdest RPG You Never Played". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
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