Arcade Spirits

So, there was a huge bundle of games on Itch.io as a fundraiser for Ukraine. I don't normally buy things off of there, but little dude does. It also seems a lot more...stable? safe? less dodgy? than it used to. And it was for a good cause, so I picked it up (for more than the minimum donation, though I'd have done even more if I had realised in time that the price was in dollars rather than pounds).

Anyway, when I say "huge" I mean HOLY COW THAT'S A LOT OF GAMES. They're not all (or even majority) the kind of stuff I normally play, but there was some Ren'py stuff in there and RPGs so I'll slowly check them out. I started with one that is an otome/joseimuke/visual novel game: Arcade Spirits. It's also available on Steam, but I didn't get a download key with that for the bundle. Which is A-ok. It was a huge deal. And hopefully the money goes to really help the people of Ukraine.

The game is by Fiction Factory Games and is apparently also available on multiple platforms now, including the Switch and XBox. It was launched in 2019. There are also (I just discovered), a sort-of follow up sequel coming in 2022 and a novelisation.

So, the game is set in 20XX sometime in the future, but it's an alternate future where arcades never subsided in popularity. I kinda wish that was true. I mean, this game does have e-sports, which is definitely a thing now, but I do rather miss those days of Dragon's Lair (which I never played, because it cost too many quarters) and Galaga and Centipede and whatever the name of that one racing game was with the red convertible and the blonde and her flippy hair.

Anyway, you play as a customisable MC (hair style, colour, hoody colour, etc.) and you're a bit of a sad sack at the start. You feel very unlucky and down and you've just been laid off from the latest in a string of dead-end, not very rewarding jobs. Your BFF and roommate Juniper (which I think is a hidden LI possibly) gets you to download an app on your phone called IRIS -- which promises to help you get your life together. Iris turns out to be a sort-of sentient program and she gets you an interview at Francine's Funplex, an old-style arcade that's not terribly popular (not like the chain of arcades owned by godfather-like Deco Nami). It's run by Francine, who'll become almost like an adopted grandma. There you'll meet all your potential love interests (from left to right):

• Ashley -- a co-splay loving creative girl who initially terrifies you in her mascot costume...seriously, it's nightmare-inducing...but she's pretty bubbly and cheerful as an LI
• Gavin -- the manager and straight-laced numbers-loving guy who plays pinball on the sly
• Naomi -- the Fix It girl who can get any old arcade machine back up and running and who loves all the old school stuff
• Percy -- who's supposed to be from England (accent is a bit weird, like Percy's an Australian that once lived in the West Midlands, travelled up to Yorkshire and didn't like it, and then moved to the US, though, to be fair, it's not as cringe as the one in Backstage Pass. The VA is from Portland...I just...could game devs please stop hiring VAs to do English accents that aren't English? It's a pet peeve. I can't help it. Why make Percy English at all? Just have him be some random dude from wherever.) and has a dad bod. He's an arcade regular who plays Moopy's Maze in honour of his dead sister
• Queen Bee -- who probably has a real name, but I dunno what it is. She's an e-sports gamer with attitude and temper but a lot of loyalty (and a bit of a potty mouth)
• Teo -- a dance machine regular who runs a Spotlight Stage community, but usually tries to put everyone else in the spotlight. He's also a flirt machine with biceps.

I actually quite liked both Percy and Teo equally, though wound up going for Teo in my first play (more on that in a minute). Next for me would be Naomi, then you'd think it would be Ashley as I do love a creative who likes to make stuff...but, eh, I wasn't really feeling her. I'm not sure why. So probably Gavin next, then Juniper (if I can figure out how to do that route), leaving Ashley and Queen Bee tied. 

So...how the play works. Every decision you make has a "personality type" and each LI has their preferred type. You don't necessarily have to play to type though... The types are:

• Kindly (green heart)
• Steady (blue scales) i.e. more logical
• Gutsy (red heart)
• Quirky (smiley face)
• Non-committal (space invaders looking thing) i.e. not really a type at all, and sort of when you want to pick something that's not specifically any of the regular types.

And...I just looked this up to write this, as I played the first time through without looking up any hints or walkthroughs...here are the "types" that each LI is supposed to go for generally:

• Gavin: Steady / Kindly
• Naomi: Kindly / Gutsy
• Ashley: Steady / Gutsy
• Percy: Quirky / Kindly
• Queen Bee: Gutsy / Quirky 
• Teo: Quirky / Steady
• Juniper: Kindly

And...you definitely don't have to exactly follow that because I just picked what I wanted and was pretty much Kindly all the way and still managed to romance Teo successfully. At least, it seemed successful! There's a big beach scene before the final plot arc and they did start dating. Maybe it gets MORE successful if you pick all the right "types"? I dunno. Mostly, I think you just have to be nice to them and make sure to pick the options that lead to extra scenes with them.

I did really like that you can easily see at any time the indicator for your likability level with everyone and your current personality levels. Thank you, game devs. You also get a visual indicator when you earn a "point" with a character (and a cute little arcade-style ding).

I don't want to re-hash the whole story and I wouldn't say it carried any particular ooomph. I feel like all of the plot "surprises" were pretty well telegraphed way before they happened. That said, it was a very enjoyable game and I really liked it. The mechanics were good. The story was engaging. Lots of humour, also pathos, and all of the characters were well rounded. I've only played through once, but I can definitely see going through it multiple times to pick out more of the backstory for the other characters (I didn't do much with Gavin or Ashley, so they're still a mystery to me). I did pick up quite a bit about Percy and really liked him too; he'll probably be my next run through unless I just want to try something off the wall.

I probably should mention the art though...It's a bit hit or miss. But it's an indie studio, so I forgive a lot in those cases. Like, Percy's sideshot sprite has him holding arcade joysticks...but it doesn't always fit the scene. The MC art is actually kind of the biggest issue here...on the one hand, yay, it's awesome you get to customise a lot. But then there are CGs and they just look...awkward? And it feels like they made the art really androgynous for the MC on purpose, which is fine, but it feels like it would have been better if they'd just made 3 body types then: male, female, and what they have. So you could *really* customise what you want. It might also be that it feels a bit weird when you're going after Teo and he's constantly complimenting you and you're literally there in a shapeless hoody and half the time you look more manly than he does. But the LIs have the same issue, honestly. The standard character sprites are fine, but when you get into bigger pictures, they often don't look at all like they normally do. That last date with Teo...they're having a picnic on the beach and it was just...really weird looking with awkward perspective. BUT the rest of it is so charming that I just kinda skimmed over the art issues. 

So, is it worth it? Absolutely. I would definitely recommend it. Even the few things that didn't impress weren't game-killers.