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If you grew up in the 80s or 90s you’re well aware of the arcade craze. Video games, tens of thousands in number, were crammed into halls at your local mall. You, and all the other kids in the neighbourhood, flocked to slot in coins and play video games until your fingers bled. It was a great time, and not at all surprising that arcades were the paradise of every kid of the era. In fact, many of the games made popular by the arcade era are still around today.
But what if you could run your own arcade? What if you could actually play all the arcade games you want, while earning a living in the process? Impossible? A pipe dream? Not with Arcade Paradise.
Arcade Paradise is out now on all major consoles and PC. But is running an arcade really as you think it is? Let’s find out.
Get A Job!
In Arcade Paradise you play as Ashley. You’re the layabout son of a successful businessman, and are given the job of running a grimy laundromat. Dad thinks you’re going to screw it up, but it turns out you have a dream. Your dream is, like every 80s and 90s kid, to just sit around and play arcade games all day. Lightbulb! What if you turn the scummy laundromat into a successful arcade?
It’s a basic premise, and there isn’t much going on in the story department. But then when a game is called Arcade Paradise the focus is, of course, going to be on the arcade games.
You explore the world, in this case a small section of street in a run-down neighbourhood, from a first-person perspective. The graphics are decent as far as the world is concerned, though nothing to write home about. But, once again, the stars of the show here are the arcade games themselves.
Chores, Chores, Chores
Interestingly, you can’t just settle in and start playing arcade games right away. You must, at least initially, tend to the laundromat. This means seeing to tedious, time-consuming tasks, including tossing laundry into machines, cleaning up trash, and pulling gum from under tables. The tasks aren’t especially exciting, but then clearly aren’t meant to be in the context of the game. You can nip into the back for a bit of arcade fun, but leisure time in the early game is purposefully fleeting.
As the game progresses, and you earn enough money to buy more arcade games, the focus sways heavily to letting you just play games. It’s an interesting progression, with the gameplay intended on depicting the success story of an arcade game-obsessed teenager. Yes, a lot of us likely wish our childhoods were something similar.
But the big question is; what about the arcade games?
80s And 90s Games Perfectly Recreated
There is no other way to put it, Arcade Paradise absolutely shines in the arcade game department. Your assumption might be, given that there are literally dozens of arcade games available, that some of the games might be a little slapdash. But no, astoundingly, each of the games is a fully playable, properly fleshed-out arcade game. The variety is so broad, and the games so well realised, that playing Arcade Paradise is akin to visiting a real online site like Bella Vegas casino. To be clear, the games in Arcade Paradise aren’t real-world arcade games. They’re recreations of retro games, taking inspiration from classics, but all entirely original.
Imagining the amount of work that went into creating all of these games is astounding. Hats off to Nosebleed Interactive for really putting in the work where it matters. Of course, not all the games are elaborate, but then such was the case in the arcades of old as well.
Some of the stand-out in-game arcade titles include Woodgal’s Adventure, Racer Chaser, Stack Overflow, and Space Race Simulator.
Woodgal’s Adventure
Woodgal’s Adventure is a classic, loving homage to the over-world style RPGS of old. You control Woodgal as she makes a dessert delivery. Only, along the way she must collect stars to fix bridges. The focus is on the match-3 style mini-games, each demanding that you swap the positions of various symbols to create matches. It’s a game you’ve seen a thousand times before, but done so well here that’ll forget this is just one of dozens of other arcade games available.
Racer Chaser
Racer Chaser is a fantastic top-down game that is something of a blend between Pacman and old-school GTA. You control a car through streets, picking up money pellets. Police, the ghosts in Pacman, chase you. The twist is that if you’re caught, you jump out of the car and have a chance to get into a new car before you’re arrested. A wonderfully fun and addictive little game.
Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow is another idea you’ve seen a thousand times, but again done here so well that this might as well be the definitive version. Coloured boxes are stacked on palettes. You control a crane that picks up the boxes and moves them. Adjust the coloured boxes correctly, stacking them before time runs out, and move on to the next level.
Space Race Simulator
Did you play OutRunners back in the day? Well, then you know exactly what Space Race Simulator is. This version isn’t precisely as detailed as OutRunners, but pretty damn close. Race a car, hit checkpoints to increase time, and try not to crash.
Conclusion
If Arcade Paradise sounds like something you’ll love, then there isn’t much more that need be said in this review. Yes, it’s a game very specifically aimed at a certain age group, but there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that. It’s a shameless 80s and 90s nostalgia trip, complete with fantastic synth-wave music, shameless homages to real games, and no real goal other than to keep playing games.
All in all, this is the perfect game to kill a few hours in the evening. It isn’t going to revolutionise gaming, and probably isn’t going to make any top 10 lists. What it is going to do, however, is give a whole lot of 80s and 90s kids a heck of a good time. Arcade Paradise is, by the way, available on Xbox Gamepass.
