Developer: Nosebleed Interactive
Publisher: Wired Productions
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Tested on: PC
Arcade Paradise – Review
Back in the days when you wanted to get your videogame fix you needed to go to a local arcade or a place that has arcade cabinets like bars, malls, or other locations. With the coming of home consoles, these machines started losing interest, and now many people who grew up in the 80s until the 00s will fondly remember the stress, excitement, and wonderful moments spent between a large cabinet, clicky buttons, and a CRT screen blasting all the colors right in your face. In Arcade Paradise you get the opportunity to operate your own arcade hall in the backroom of a laundromat. Will you successfully turn this old run-down place into a large Arcade Paradise, or will you just say “screw this” and apply for a job at the local meat packing plant?
Story
The story begins with Ashley, a teenager who is a bit lacking in the work ethics department and his father decides that he now has to run the family laundromat. This place was a bit abandoned, but this is the only real shot he gets to make an honest living. In the back, there are a few old arcade cabinets left behind and Ashley decides to earn a little bit of extra cash on the side. As it is his dream to have a huge arcade one day, he will need to work hard to earn enough cash to expand his shop to fit more cabinets and become the arcade king.
The story flows nicely, and it starts off with your dad not really seeing the merits of your idea but he starts showing support once you show him that it is paying off. As a father, he is happy that you work your fingers to the bone to support your dreams, rather than just reaching for the stars.
Graphics
Visually the game utilizes a mix of retro pixilated graphics and the typical simulator graphics that are smooth and simple. The game has this really retro atmosphere with many of the visuals reminiscent of old video games. Not only do you have the various locations around your place but each arcade game has its own unique look and setting.
Sound
Just like the visuals, the sounds will make you relive the days of sitting in a busy arcade and hearing the enjoyment of people playing. The sound effects are all inspired by retro video games and the music playing is a mix of video game music and 80s-90s inspired tunes. We did love the many voicemails you receive from your father. He talks directly to the player (Ashley) and this creates an extra layer of immersion.
Gameplay
Arcade Paradise is a management simulator where you must build your arcade empire in the back of a laundromat that has seen better days. The story begins with your father giving you the keys to his laundromat somewhere on the outskirts of the city. This location isn’t making much revenue and you are given the chance to build something of your own there. As most dads, he isn’t all too keen on you investing all your money into building an arcade, so you will need to learn all the basics of managing a store before you can start working on your dream.
Once you walk through the door the tutorial starts. First, you’ll need to clean up your place because many people used this as a public dump. Keeping your venue clean is essential to draw in more customers and make them spend more money. As you’re still running a laundromat, the quickest way to make money is by doing people their laundry. You load them manually into the washing machine and then insert them into the dryer. By completing your tasks quickly, you will receive a royal payout and you’ll have enough money saved in no time for a new arcade cabinet.
The beginning is slow and the game takes up the pace like an old diesel locomotive, but once you get going there is no stopping the momentum. Initially, it feels like a grind, grabbing laundry, washing and drying it, and cleaning up your establishment, but as you get rewards from everything, this is a worthwhile investment. Surely after a while, you notice that your income steadily increases if you provide a good service and each interaction is like a small mini-game so it keeps the player engaged during these interactions. Gradually you will fill up the backroom with cabinets, so you’ll need more space and luckily you have a contact that can help you if you have the money.
In most of these management games, everything is pretty static but Arcade Paradise really opens the registers and blows your mind. Every arcade cabinet is fully playable and each game has quite some content for you to enjoy with progression to make or levels to complete. When you start out small, you will have all the time to play games, but once your popularity skyrockets, you’ll have less and less time to enjoy the newest games. Luckily the game doesn’t mind you skipping work for a day to relax and play video games, but you can always do daily chores to collect special money for upgrades that will make your life way easier.
Controlling the game is quite easy, you only need a few buttons and most interactions only require a simple button press. The only real annoying part is that using the computer doesn’t feel fleshed out while using a mouse and keyboard. For some strange reason snapping to the items goes fluently with the keyboard and controller but when you try to manually click items with the mouse, it sometimes doesn’t work.
Conclusion
Arcade Paradise is a game that has you hooked from the beginning until the possible ending. The story takes you on a ride from the small beginnings to you being the King of arcades in your town. Work hard and long days to rake in the cash so you can expand, or take it easy and enjoy the simple things in life. Arcade Paradise has a lot to offer and if you put in the work, you’ll get many hours of fun gameplay to enjoy. This game is the perfect choice for those looking to build their own impressive arcade, as well as those wanting to spend a lot of time playing arcade games.
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