| NAME | GENRE |
| Arcade Spirits | Visual Novel |
| DEVELOPER | RELEASE DATE |
| Fiction Factory Games | February 12, 2019 |
| PLATFORMS | |
| Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, MAC, Linux |
Arcade Spirits is set in 20XX and follows an alternative timeline where the 1983 video game crash never occurred – after a turbulant work history you are granted employment at the Funplex, a popular arcade, home to a host of unique personalities and customers. Where will this new found employment take you? Who will you meet along the way? Will you find the romance you’re seeking?
In Arcade Spirits, you begin by customizing your character. You are able to rename them, choose your pronounce (we see the inclusion!), change hair color and even hair length.
You start the game off with a bit of misfortune… you’re now unemployed again. Your roommate, Juniper, who is bubbly and optimistic, tries to cheer you up and recommends an app for you to choose to get your **** together. She raves about how this app helped her do better in life and set her up with her current job that she seems to like.
After she heads out, you are then questioning what the hell this app even is and what it does. So downloading seems to be your best choice. The app is a life-coach plus personal assistant on steroids named Iris. Iris introduces herself and explains how she works (in form of a mini tutorial of course). Not only is she setting you up for success by helping you find a job. While playing the game, she is also analyzing your responses to better understand your personality by way of Identity Identifiers. You will have dialogue options (identifiers) that range from Quirky, Steady, Kindly, Gutsy and Basically. As you answer, you will earn points for each identity identifier and build up your personality.
Along with options for dialogue you will also have the option for romance or just have fun making friends. Your dialogue options can make or break the relationships you build so you can trust your gut or put more thought into it. I chose romance and friendship for this review.
The game introduces you to a wide cast of characters each with their own personalities from uptight, quirky and even egotistical. Aside from Juniper, you will also meet the rest of the gang which include Ashley, an avid cosplayer who brings her passion to work, and Naomi, the tech and arcade guru behind Funplex. While working at Funplex, you can have them help you along with your dreams as they help you as well. Overall, I enjoyed the game and the dialogue options.
While working at Funplex, you can have them help you along with your dreams as they help you as well. Overall, I enjoyed the game and the dialogue options.
While playing I had one issue, the volume was driving me crazy! It was too low and at first I questioned whether my Switch was malfunctioning or it was in my head. I upped the settings to be louder and had my volume on the highest setting but it was still low. I feel like I missed out on some ambience settings and really engaging with the voice actors and the music.
For those who love visual novels or just want to get into a casual game, Arcade Spirits is for you. It was an enjoyable ride that encompasses different aspect of people and inclusive as well. It made me laugh, get lost in the story, and just craving for more from the characters.
Summary
A well-done tale of the ups and downs of love with unique puzzle mechanics