Arcade Spirits

Last updated
Arcade Spirits
Arcade Spirits cover.jpg
Developer(s) Fiction Factory Games
Publisher(s) PQube
Director(s) Stefan Gagne
SeriesArcade Spirits
Platform(s) Windows
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Genre(s) Dating sim, visual novel
Mode(s) Single-player

Arcade Spirits is a dating sim visual novel video game released in 2019 for Microsoft Windows and in 2020 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. It was developed by Fiction Factory Games and published by PQube. Set in an alternate history where the video game crash of 1983 never happened, arcades remain popular. Players control a customizable character who can be female, male, or non-binary, and can choose whether they want to approach the seven romance candidates romantically or platonically.

Contents

Plot

Arcade Spirits is set in an alternate history where the video game crash of 1983 never occurred, and arcades continued to thrive. Players control a customizable character, who can be either female, male, or non-binary, with the default name of Ari Cader. Ari shares a home with their roommate, Juniper, who encourages them to look for a new job using a phone app called IRIS. This app has an artificial intelligence named Iris, who helps Ari apply for a job at an arcade called the Funplex as a floor manager. She is hired by an elderly woman named Francine, who hires them due to their experience with working as a lifeguard, which she deems suitable experience for working in a high-stress environment. While working at the Funplex, Ari meets a number of people, most of whom work at the Funplex, and may choose to participate in romantic relationships with certain characters. Ari may pursue characters romantically regardless of any genders involved.

Throughout the game, Ari goes on jobs with both employees of the Funplex as well as regulars in order to help out the Funplex in various ways.

Characters

Gameplay

Players take control of a customizable character, whose gender, skin color, hair length, hair color, hoodie color, and name (which defaults to Ari) can be determined. Players can also customize Ari's personality, using an in-game mechanic called the Identity Identifier System, which judges Ari on various traits. This affects how Ari interacts with other characters in the game. Picking certain dialogue choices will both affect Ari's relationship with other characters as well as influence how strong these traits are. If a certain trait does not have enough time put into it, certain dialogue choices will be locked. By building up relations with certain characters, Ari may romance them at some point.

Development

Its development took a little over two years before the first release. [1] Arcade Spirits was developed by Fiction Factory Games and published by PQube, with writing done by Stefan Gagne and Aenne Schumann, the former who also served as project director. [2] [3] [1] It was Fiction Factory Games' first project. [4] Schumann had written for other works before, but it was their first time working as a narrative designer. [1] Gagne came to work with Schumann after they met through a mutual friend at a PAX East panel titled "Romance in Video Games," at which point they became friends. Gagne later asked Schumann if they would like to work on a game with him, which Schumann accepted. [4] Gagne and Schumann made a point of hiring a diverse team for the game's development. [4] The team behind Arcade Spirits put out a casting call looking for musicians to work on the game. [2] A Patreon was opened to support development of the game, offering early access to demos and the full game depending on how much a person contributes. [2] The game was featured at the 2018 EGX expo with a playable demo. [5] Gagne explained that the voice acting was the most difficult part of the development, though voice director Jacob Burgess made it significantly easier for it to get done. Schumann, meanwhile, regarded time management as the most difficult part, owing to their full-time jobs outside of developing Arcade Spirits. Schumann noted that development was made much easier with PQube's assistance, especially for the console releases. [1]

Character and plot development

The idea for Arcade Spirits came from Gagne's interest in arcade hardware restoration videos on YouTube as well as his interest in 80s workplace sitcoms such as Night Court , Cheers , and Murphy Brown . [4] Naomi was the first character that the writers conceived, and was meant to represent the people in those restoration videos, describing her as a person as someone who is "tinkering away and desperately trying to bring a 1980s classic back to life." [1] Each character at the Funplex was meant to represent a different aspect of arcade culture. Gavin represented both pinball fans and the challenge of keeping an arcade afloat, Percy represented highscore chasing, QueenBee represented the competitive gaming scene, Teo represented the dancing and rhythm genre, and Ashley represented how fandoms can grow around gaming. [1] Gagne and Schumann identified these characters with a single word early on in development; for example, Naomi, Teo, and Ashley were labelled Fixer, Dancer, and Cosplayer respectively. The two of them split these characters in half, each taking on writing duties for their half of the cast. They wrote their respective characters with their life and experience with the arcade serving as inspiration. [1] Voice actress LilyPichu was hired to play the character Juniper, with Gagne exclaiming that Lily understood Juniper right away. [6]

Gagne felt that there were a number of visual novels that either had "highly defined protagonists and zero self-expression" or "blandly designed generic protagonists but little roleplaying." He found this limiting, which influenced him to approach Arcade Spirits by bringing western role-playing game standards and feature them in a visual novel, which he did by adding character customization and a "core gameplay loop" about the protagonist "defining" both themselves and how they solve problems. There were limitations for the player art due to design choices. [4]

Gagne identified Naomi as the easiest character to write due to how relatable she was as a "shy nerd" with a "fading hobby." He felt the "fire" in Naomi was as fun to write as the "love in her heart." Teo, however, was the hardest for Gagne to write, exclaiming that he "never really got a read" on him in part due to Schumann having written his dialogue. [4] Meanwhile, Schumann found QueenBee to be the easiest, finding it fun to write a character with a "sassy" attitude. Ashley was the hardest character to write, though this was due to how Ashley represented Schumann's own experiences and discovering that they were non-binary. They found it difficult to write their "raw emotions" into Ashley, as it was "deeply personal" and they wanted to get it right. [4]

Diversity and accessibility

Schumann expressed a desire to see games be as diverse as possible, noting that while they like romance and dating sim games, they felt off to them, due to them being pansexual and non-binary. They designed Arcade Spirits with the desire to make it as inclusive as possible, including allowing people to not pursue romance at all. Gagne, being asexual and queer, found it important that players not be made to get into a romantic relationship. To Gagne, Arcade Spirits was about arcades and the "wonderful people" you meet within them. [4] While designing the characters, they worked with sensitivity readers in order to avoid "common pitfalls" when it comes to representation and made tweaks when the writing wasn't "clicking." [4] They also worked with visually impaired communities in order to determine what enhancements should be made for the PC version of the game that were not available with the engine used. [4]

Release

Arcade Spirits was announced in August 2018, with a tentative release date for PCs of 2019. [7] It was ultimately released on February 12, 2019. [8] Arcade Spirits was revealed for a May 1, 2020 release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One digitally, with development having begun shortly after completion of the PC version's development. [9] [1]

It was featured as part of itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. [10]

Reception

Arcade Spirits has received generally positive reception, with aggregate website OpenCritic identifying it as receiving "strong" reviews. [11] Washington Post writer Christopher Byrd compared Arcade Spirits to a "beach read," calling it "charming and relatable" and noting that it understands its audience. They were critical of its art style, noting that the repetition of environments became worse due to its art style not being strong enough. However, they felt the story was strong enough to keep them interested, discussing how it specifically examines gaming in a critical light. [12] GamesRadar+ 's Heather Wald listed Arcade Spirits in their list of the best visual novels, praising it for its cast of characters and "creative nods" to arcade games. They also appreciated how much choice there was, contributing to good replay value. [13] RPGFan writer Alana Hagues was "surprised" by the game, noting that while it was not "genre-defining," it left players with a "warm feeling" upon completion. They particularly enjoyed being able to decide whether their character wanted romance or not, as they felt it allowed players to decide how they wanted to play their character better. They also found the cast to be one of their favorites in any visual novel. However, they felt that the voice acting was uneven and found some character and background art didn't mesh well together. [14] [15] RPGamer writer Sam Wachter felt that fans of otome games or romantic comedies would enjoy Arcade Spirits, citing its visuals, voice acting, and the love put into it by the game's designers. They also praised it for "clever" writing and humor. [16] Digitally Downloaded writer Priscilla M. called it a "must play" for fans of visual novels, dating sims, and arcades, praising the optional nature of its romance element for not turning off those who may lack interest in romance. They found the cast and story "wonderful" and noted that it stuck with them days after completion. [17]

The Nintendo Switch release received generally positive reception. Early impressions of the Nintendo Switch version by RPGamer writer Anna Marie Privitere noted the game was well suited for "five-minute bursts or five-hour marathons and still be enjoyable," making it a good fit for the Switch. [18] Nintendo Life writer Ollie Reynolds was generally positive towards the Nintendo Switch version of the game, praising it for its diversity, ability to choose to not romance anyone, its visual style, and writing. However, they felt some of the voice acting was poor, focused too much on nostalgia, and had low volume when played in the Nintendo Switch's handheld mode. [19] NintendoWorldReport writer Jordan Rudek was more critical of the game. They praised it for its character customization, but felt that the character relationships "aren't earned" and criticized the dialogue choice system for being uncompelling. They also felt that the presentation was poor and that the writing relied too much on references. [20] Digitally Downloaded writer Matthew Codd found glitches with the Switch release, but noted that this should not make someone avoid the game. They described the game as "warm, funny, [and] moving," and praised its cast of characters. [21]

Sequel

A sequel to Arcade Spirits, titled Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers, [22] was announced in June 2020 and released on May 27, 2022. [23]

Related Research Articles

<i>Paper Mario</i> (video game) 2000 video game

Paper Mario is a 2000 role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 home video game console. Paper Mario is the first game in the Paper Mario series. First released in Japan in 2000 and then internationally in 2001, Paper Mario was later re-released for Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console in July 2007, the Wii U Virtual Console in April 2015, and the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on December 10, 2021.

<i>Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door</i> 2004 video game

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a 2004 role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The Thousand-Year Door is the second game in the Paper Mario series following Paper Mario, and is part of the larger Mario franchise. In the game, when Mario and Princess Peach get involved in the search for a mystic treasure that holds great fortune, Peach is kidnapped by an alien group called the X-Nauts; Mario sets out to find the treasure and save the princess.

<i>Knights of Valour</i> 1999 video game

Knights of Valour is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game series released by International Games System (IGS). The plot is loosely adapted from the 14th century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, and features the Five Tiger Generals, Zhuge Liang, Diaochan and others as playable characters. The gameplay involves the use of magical powers that are not featured in other games also based on the novel.

<i>Mario</i> (franchise) Video game franchise

Mario, or Super Mario, is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for video game company Nintendo which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise, but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros., although Mario had made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong, and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers including Nintendo, Hudson Soft, and AlphaDream. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video games in Japan</span> Overview of video games in Japan

Video games are a major industry in Japan, and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming. Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games and the country is home to many notable video game companies such as Nintendo, Sega, Taito, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, NEC, SNK and formerly Sony Computer Entertainment. Japan is currently the third largest video game market in the world after China and the United states.

Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft. The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high-school students who are forced into murdering each other by a robotic teddy bear named Monokuma. Gameplay features a mix of adventure, visual novel, detective and dating simulator elements. The first game, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.

<i>Spirit Hunter: NG</i> 2018 video game

Spirit Hunter: NG, short for No Good, is a 2018 horror visual novel adventure game developed by Experience. It is the second entry in their Spirit Hunter series, following 2017's Spirit Hunter: Death Mark, and is planned to be followed by the in-development Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II. The game was originally released for the PlayStation Vita, and has since been ported to the PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Sengoku 3</i> 2001 video game

Sengoku 3 is a 2001 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK. It is the third and final entry in the Sengoku series. In the game, players battle against undead enemy spirits. Though initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released to Neo Geo AES (home), in addition of being re-released through download services for various consoles. It was met with positive reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release.

<i>Bravely Default II</i> 2021 video game

Bravely Default II is a role-playing video game developed by Claytechworks and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on February 26, 2021, with Nintendo publishing the game on the platform outside of Japan, and was released for Windows on September 2, 2021. It is the third main installment in the Bravely series, following the original Bravely Default and its direct sequel Bravely Second: End Layer. It features a separate story, setting, and cast of characters.

<i>Clockwork Aquario</i> 2021 video game

Clockwork Aquario is a platform game developed by Westone and published by ININ Games for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows. The gameplay involves defeating waves of enemies, picking up power-ups and items, and destroying bosses across multiple levels to stop Dr. Hangyo from taking over the world.

<i>Various Daylife</i> 2019 video game

Various Daylife is a role-playing video game published by Square Enix. The game was developed by DokiDoki Groove Works and key staff in charge of developing the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler games. It was released on iOS, exclusively on their Apple Arcade service, in 2019 and on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in 2022. It was re-released on iOS as a paid version named VARIOUS DAYLIFE mobile with an Android release on January 23, 2023.

<i>Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth</i> 2021 video game

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a 2021 action role-playing video game developed by Team Ladybug and co-published by Playism and Why so serious? for Microsoft Windows. Versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S were also released. It is based on Ryo Mizuno's Record of Lodoss War series, taking place before the events of The Crown of the Covenant. Controlling the high elf Deedlit, who finds herself in a strange interconnected labyrinth filled with her past foes and companions, the game focuses on exploration and searching for items and power-ups in the vein of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, fighting bosses and minibosses. During gameplay, the player also locates two elemental spirits and swaps between each one.

<i>Death End Request 2</i> 2020 video game

Death End Request 2 is an hybrid Japanese role-playing and visual novel video game developed by Compile Heart and published by Idea Factory. The game released worldwide for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in August 2020, and was ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2021. The game is largely a stand-alone story from its predecessor, Death End Request.

<i>Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp</i> 2021 role-playing video game

Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp is a role-playing video game with board game elements, developed and published by Spike Chunsoft for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021, with Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows versions released in 2022. The game, a spin-off installment in the Danganronpa visual novel series, is an expanded version of two side-modes from Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017), and was released digitally as a standalone game and physically through the game compilation Danganronpa Decadence, as a part of celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the Danganronpa series.

<i>Corpse Party</i> (2008 video game) 2008 video game

Corpse Party, released in Japan as Corpse Party: Blood Covered, is a horror adventure game developed by Team GrisGris and published by Xseed Games for Microsoft Windows. Originally developed as Corpse Party: NewChapter for Japanese mobile phones, it is a remake of the 1996 NEC PC-9801 video game Corpse-Party, and the second game in the Corpse Party series. Containing similar gameplay to its predecessor, players control a group of high school students who are transported to a haunted elementary school after performing a supposed friendship ritual, looking for a way to escape. Corpse Party is the first game in the series' rebooted continuity, introducing new characters and elements to those present in the original game, while generally following the same plot.

<i>Garden Story</i> 2021 video game

Garden Story is an action role-playing game developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games. The game was released for macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on August 11, 2021, and for Xbox One on July 12, 2022. Limited Run Games announced that physical copies would be distributed in Q3 2022.

<i>Arcade Paradise</i> 2022 video game

Arcade Paradise is a business simulation video game developed by Nosebleed Interactive and published by Wired Productions. It was first released August 11, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S and October 13, 2022 for Amazon Luna and Google Stadia. The game plays as a first-person perspective in which the player character grows a struggling laundromat business into a thriving arcade. It received mixed to generally favorable reviews from critics. Metacritic aggregate scores range from 72 out of 100 on Microsoft Windows to 83 out of 100 on Nintendo Switch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 EdEn (May 27, 2020). "Fiction Factory Games On Arcade Spirits". PS4Blog.net. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Arcade Spirits Looks At The Light-Hearted – And Romantic – Side Of Arcade Management". Comic Book. January 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  3. ↑ Estrada, Marcus (August 8, 2018). "Arcade Spirits Gets a Publisher and 2019 Release Window". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 pokeninja90 (November 25, 2020). "Behind the Games – Interview with Fiction Factory Games". Blerdy Otome. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (September 20, 2018). "EGX 2018 has tons of playable games at the show – here's the list". VG247. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  6. ↑ Gagne, Stefan (November 21, 2018). "Voice Spotlight: Lilypichu / Juniper". Stefan Gagne's Fiction Factory. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Lada, Jenni (August 8, 2018). "Arcade Spirits Brings Love To An Arcade In 2019". Siliconera. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Arcade Spirits". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  9. ↑ Key, Kim (February 20, 2020). "Arcade Spirits Coming to Consoles in May". RPGFan. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ Moyse, Chris (2020). "itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality raised an amazing $8.1 million". Destructoid . Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Arcade Spirits". OpenCritic . 5 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ Byrd, Christopher (May 19, 2020). "'Arcade Spirits': The video game equivalent of a beach read". Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ Wald, Heather (March 9, 2020). "The best visual novels that'll capture your imagination". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  14. ↑ Hagues, Alana (May 5, 2019). "Arcade Spirits". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  15. ↑ Hagues, Alana (May 5, 2019). "Arcade Spirits Review". RPGFan. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ Wachter, Sam (February 10, 2019). "Adventure Corner: Arcade Spirits". RPGamer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  17. ↑ Priscilla M. (February 14, 2019). "Review: Arcade Spirits (PC)". Digitally Downloaded. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  18. ↑ Privetere, Anne Marie (September 5, 2019). "Arcade Spirits PAX West 2019 Impression". RPGamer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  19. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie (May 6, 2020). "Arcade Spirits Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  20. ↑ Rudek, Jordan (May 3, 2020). "Arcade Spirits (Switch) Review". NintendoWorldReport. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  21. ↑ Codd, Matthew (May 11, 2020). "Review: Arcade Spirits (Nintendo Switch)". Digitally Downloaded. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  22. ↑ Lee, Keegan (June 25, 2020). "Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers Announced". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  23. ↑ Romano, Sal (March 16, 2022). "Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers launches May 27". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.