Join the ever-growing list of switch dating sims, Arcade Spirits is a visual novel that imagines a world in which the video game crash of 1983 never took place. Wallpapers are more popular now than ever before, and technology has become focused and limited. Beyond that, the protagonist makes a point to say that nothing else has changed all that much; Internet trolls are increasingly annoying, pro-gamer cables are plentiful, and sadly flying cars are not.
You play as a newcomer to the popular Funplex Arcade, where you meet a few characters, all of whom are your perfect working love partners. Everything from your character pronunciation to the hair color is customizable when you start your story, which is a great addition to a genre that doesn't include personalized characters. We liked a few other options here such as various apparel and accessories, but we'll take them as they are.
At the beginning of the story, you are prompted by a roommate to download a mobile app called Iris, a fully-fledged 3D woman life coach that comes straight from your phone's screen. Iris convinces your character to take a plunge and apply for a Funplex location, but depending on how perfect the game is, Iris lets you select multiple dialog options as you interact with different characters, each choice linked to a specific character. This is clearly indicated, so you will always know what kind of response you are going to give.
The game is completely heartless, so there is absolutely no risk of choosing the & # 39; s wrong choice when interacting with the characters, and you can reduce the deliberate compromise to achieve your desired result. The good thing is that you don't have to pursue a dating partner in the game at all if you don't want to – you can just go with the flow and make lovely friendly friends as you get to deal with the arcade.
The game naturally turns on its narrative, so it's less likely to go astray than the way it's given, but there are many times where you can choose which of the existing characters you would like to work with. All in all, you're looking for a good 5 or 6 gameplay, and there are plenty of conclusions to come up with various options throughout the experience, should you wish to play it again.
There are plenty of characters to know about your time at Funplex; a few of our favorites include bubbly expert Naomi and gamer expert QueenBee. The writing and the dialogue are organized for the most part, and there are plenty of lines that will bring a smile to your face. The story relies more on the role of comics than it does on the romance genre, which will undoubtedly help to appeal to those who may enjoy visual novels, but are probably less interested in dating sims.
It is a shame, then, that the practical voice does not stretch you by comparison. Some characters, like Iris, sound fantastic, but there are others who really take it out of their experience with high volume and delivery. In addition, the overall sound – when playing in management mode – indeed quiet, even if you touch the volume up. We hope it will be a little hard to solve this, because we love music so much, and we would love to be able to hear it.
Visually though, Arcade Spirits is a treat. The cartoon characters are incredibly unique and they explode completely with visual quirks; you will be able to quickly access your favorites at any time. This compares favorably to the extremely harsh quality of the space where, although static, it transcends the mood of the time well. Some design choices are weird; so, for example, if imagination is to be felt in a world where video game phones are alive and holographic phone screens are a thing, we would like to see more courage a sci-fi idea to keep up with this. Instead, the arcade looks very similar to it from your childhood, and the game often relies on these more unpleasant things.
Conclusion
Arcade Spirits is a niche title that will get its audience's appreciation for writing some great content and choices that are highly engaging with various characters to interact with. While there are a few flaws in the sound design space, including poor voice work and low volume production, the gameplay is involved with a fun whisper, making this an excellent choice if you're after a fun, lighthearted experience or a well-written nostalgia tour.
