Mockumentation
LVLup!, National Library of Estonia
A previously unknown and unpublished video game prototype has been uncovered in the archives of the National Library of Estonia. Titled Meelis and Vyachko, the game was developed for the Dendy console—a Russian video game system and regarded as an unofficial clone of Nintendo’s first console. Unfortunately, the prototype no longer functions, and only photographs of the game in action were found inside the box.
Meelis and Vyachko is a platformer inspired by historical themes, reimagining the logic of the classic Contra game within a medieval Western setting. The project bridges digital gaming and cultural history, inviting reflection on how games interpret the past while connecting with audiences through heritage and nostalgia—recalling the times when Estonian children played Contra, Tank, and Super Mario Bros on Soviet-era televisions. For the youth of both nationalities, the fairy tales that truly mattered were the veryfirst computer games.
