King of the Arcade is a love letter to retro arcade games, by developer/publisher Super Villain Games, that makes the players remember where video games first became a cultural phenomenon for the general public. The love for the retro games is evident in the various arcade cabinet games Super Villain Games made to replicate that arcade feel. Moreover, these retro games are the main focus even in the little, short funny story where it brings in current popular culture and memes making it quite unique. Due to the nature of the game being focused on the arcade the 80s nostalgia is prominently there and alludes to various references of the time. Super Villain Games has made a retro themed arcade filled with various games followed up by a short and sweet story, all encapsulated in 80s nostalgia.
The game play is a remake of old classic retro arcade games that can be found at certain locations today. The games portrayed by Super villain Games are a great representation of classic arcade staples of that era of video games with a wide variety of fighting, rhythm, and physical games. Moreover, while it would be great to change the settings of games such as the sensitivity it would not stay true to form as the original arcade cabinets did not have such a luxury to do so. This makes the experience a bit more authentic at the cost of accommodating to the player which has its pros and cons which can influence whether or not this game can survive in the long run. Aside from that, the wide variety of games makes up for the controls as each one feels special providing a unique experience. This makes the player find a particular game that they would like to play and master over time to achieve the high score. Multiplayer will heighten this aspect by allowing friends and rivals to compete for high scores to claim that number 1 spot. The title of number 1 is brought up in the story as it is a key plot point in the main character’s theme where he needs to defend his work from a malicious force in a hilarious story concocted by the developers.
While the gameplay has a major role the story is funny and filled with contemporary memes and video game references showing how in tune the developers are with popular culture. Memes have become a part of contemporary social media often conveying information that either allows for a variety or reactions to occur. The game utilizes this to full effect in its short story mode creating a humorous yet intriguing story for players. A short glimpse into the memes used relate to NFTs, and old movie cliches that can entice a wide audience. This brings in the variety of video game refences that also include specific jargon used by players often describing various situations that can occur when playing a game. Two clear examples are the use of the term glitch in a line as well as the use of montages that demonstrate popular culture at the time while spicing it up with more modern video game references. While references are good to have the story itself is cheesy yet good incorporating cheesy movie cliches in fun story that does not over stay its intended welcome. By doing this the story takes a back seat and can prioritize on the gameplay allowing the player to focus on what is important. This allows for the meaning behind the story to be blatant and put out in front as a main concern is the unforeseeable future of video games, and arcades with technological advancements. However, the game focuses on the past, specifically that 80’s nostalgia of playing games at the local arcade with friends and family.
The 80’s for video games exploded onto the scene from arcade cabinets to home consoles with the latter being more expensive allowing the popularity of arcades to rise to prominence. While this is a key part in video game history the developers wanted to highlight this aspect in the game through the story as the arcade is in a run-down state that can barely stay afloat in modern times with the variety of consoles and personal computers available able to emulate older games. This highlights a key issue in retro games as to what will happen to them in the future. However, with an audience still available looking to either collect such nostalgic items it is unlikely that the video game cabinets will go out of fashion. This can be seen in the variety of online stores and retailers having them in stock showcasing that a game like King of the Arcade still has value and a clear target audience of players who want to experience that 80s nostalgia. This makes the game unique as to the rest of the games to be released this year as it directly involves an older demographic which has been amplified by the new release of the new Super Mario Bros. movie an icon of that era brought to the big screen. This demonstrates a love for older retro styled games and King of the Arcade taps into that aspect.
Supper Villain Games have made a work of love to the old retro games reminding players of what games where like back then with console games taking dominance making arcade cabinets few and far between. The games made show case a strong love for those old arcade cabinet games trying to do their best to replicate the feel of those games on controller. While the games take a priority, the story is short and sweet catering to contemporary and 80’s references. Moreover, the 80’s nostalgia is on full display with the variety of games that populated arcades for the time. King of the Arcade is a 7/10 game, in my opinion, that focuses on a niche audience that love retro games and this is showcased in the gameplay, story, and nostalgia as those are some of its core strengths.
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Related: Reviews by Kyle Manila
I would describe myself when interacting with games as a strategist with a pension for stealth and loud explosions.
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