Arcade Paradise

[quote=Oscar Wilde]A sentimentalist is simply one who wants to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it. We think we can have our emotions for nothing. We cannot.[/quote] The game is dripping with character and good vibes, the story has a bittersweet Gone Home feel that's a perfect counterbalance to the mindless saccharine of arcade minigames, which all adds up to a pretty sentimental nostalgia bomb (if you're there for it), but with enough modern design that it doesn't feel dusty or maudlin. Unfortunately, it "ends," if I can use that word, in a big letdown, not because there is anything "missing" but because the game creates expectations that it can't really pay off. What becomes obvious in hindsight is that the minigames are little more than pastiche and only remain appealing long enough to punctuate the storyline. Each minigame masterfully evokes the titles it is an homage to, and even the framing device apes a more contemporary genre of retail-simulators and virtual arcade emulators. But although it looks like an ersatz collection of classics, it's actually more like a weekend game design competition folded into a visual novel. As storytelling intermezzi, these m…

chores

This game was fun when I got it on Epic Games for free but now I've bought it and came back there are glaring issues that make the game feel cheap and slow. It's a very long slog that is fun for people like me who can be given a mindless task for a few hours and thrive but if you wanna progress it's best not to play the games and do the Cleaning / Laundry, but if you wanna have fun you play the arcade games, Barkanoid is amazing but its Arkanoid with Dog theming and a great pun but, it's Arkanoid. The original games range from fun to basically a brand new slog, though there's at least little bit for everyone, as the nature of an arcade! This game is egregious in many other aspects, The Menus are Painful and the VR game makes it worse. There is no crosshair. Like there is buried in settings but its SO BIG and not representative of your grabbing zone. Mouse turning is weird and this game is even more of a slog on controller. This game can be fun at times but yeah, I did just ignore everything I thought wasn't fun and I'd recommend that if you're not having fun but then it's not a 20$ game, get this on a Summer sale or some deeper discount and you'll have fun, I did for a while.

I hit credits around 23 hours so use that as you will. This was a fun love letter to a nostalgic time that I never experienced. Its part cozy shop sim and part love letter to classic arcade games. The creativity to include so many homages to the original game cabinets was great. If either of those two details interest you then this game will be a fun experience. If not then avoid or buy on sale in case you're curious later. Also shoutout to the fake band Bruise Machine for that great shoegaze song on the jukebox.

I really like this game, it fun, has a nice story and enjoyed playing it. But it has issues. For one it filled with a lot of small annoying bugs, and some of the side stuff you can do for bonus sorties and lore, get really annoying and harder the more you play. The soundtrack is nice with a few tracks that stick out (like the main theme "arcade paradise"), The graphics are simple, which work for this type of game. But there the lack of customisation for your arcade leaves a lot to be desired. This game could be a lot more, but is good for what it cost. DLC is worth it if you want more arcade games in your arcade. Took me just under 60 hours to get all achievements, thankfully no dlc is needed for any achievements.

Chill game and progressing is quite addictive. Arcade games are fun too!