Arcade Spirits

As someone who has the Switch version of this game, I LOVE IT so so much

i am a blind gamer. i love this game. thanks for making it accessible. but can you add a way to change the default voice for selfvoicing please? or if possible guide me as to where can i mess about with the self voicing options? i used clipboard voicing but the accessible audio only mode didn't activate. i hope the developer will respond to my comment soon. thanks for the game. it's one of the best

Loved these characters. I had such a great time playing Arcade Spirits. I think Pratchett and Adams would be proud.

I have this game on my switch AND the sequel. It's worth it, please support these guys!

This game was so good to play, to feel that my choices really had an impact on everyone's life and in the Arcade, I got attached to some characters and fell in love with Teo right away (the boy has my heart in his hands) I got emotional in several moments, which I won't mention cuz  spoilers, and I simply couldn't play it again to test other routes cuz I felt that for me it was something of a unique experience, and oh boy, what an experience I had!

this game is really well made and so fun to play. i wasn't expecting having this many options and being persuaded into role-play so easily. love this!!!

Is the game fully voiced?

You can tell the developers knew what they were doing from the very beginning of the gameplay. Well-designed UI, full-emotion VO, player character customization, funny storytelling and dialogs, highly detailed backgrounds, and pretty character animation bring us a high-quality visual novel experience. The attribute system combines the options that are distinguished enough, which makes the players believe they can build their own story path or personality. It would be better if all the NPC dialogs can have VO.

This game is comfort food. It's handhold-y not in a "tells you what to do" way, but in a "holds your hand and tells you 'I gotchu, it'll be ok'" way. And I love that. For the most part there are no right or wrong options, you can just roleplay, and get to know the cast of characters, all of which are lovable in their own way. The romance elements are optional and probably as a result not super huge, but as a friendship simulator this game is great. Also the story is pretty good, some interesting twists. 

The game is really well-made and I wanna see what the developers do in the future, but the characters are just really unlikable. The player character has an unrelatable personality/backstory that really broke my immersion, and I only cared for one of the romanceable characters. It does give the option of they/them pronouns and allows you to romance/befriend characters of whatever binary gender(s) you prefer though

A truly wonderful game that will get you hooked on the story with its great writing and interesting cast.

Graphics: Good. I found myself spending time to admire the backdrops and the character designs are pleasing.

Gameplay: Well it's a visual novel, there's not much to say here is there? But I do appreciate the ability to toggle the 'guides'. Personally, I liked to play with them on.

Audio: Good. Definitely found myself headbopping to the music at times and it fit the story well.

Difficulty: Not really much dfificulty to speak of, though there are a couple moments where your choices really matter.
Story: Fantastic story! I was completely invested.

Game Time: Short. I finished this in three sittings, and I'm a pretty casual tier gamer.

Price: I definitely feel it's worth the price, especially taking replay value into account to get different endings and to see all the stories of each character.

Bugs: I didn't run into any myself.

Overall: 8/10. Didn't change my life, but I'd definitely recommend it to others.

I just finished the game and I loved it so much! It's such a feelgood experience, but with a nice dose of hardships too in a lovely balance <3 I wound up in a relationship with QueenBee, she's the %&#?¤@ best! I just in general felt close to every character in some way, even with the ones I didn't talk to that much. Looking forward to the sequel!

I loved every bit of this game

awesome game

excellent game, delightful, got me invested enough to be genuinely upset by the ending. ruined my night. 10/10.

I enjoyed it so so much! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play this, as for those who have doupts well.. do not. I highly recommend it!!

This game was so much fun to play through! Thank you for making it!

Came in expecting a cheesy Arcade based dating sim

Stayed in discussing issues of mental health with Ashley.

Also unrelated tidbit, isn't it "rolls OFF your tongue"?

I've had this game for a while (got it during a bundle two years ago) but didn't play it until now, and I very much regret waiting so long! I've never had so much fun playing a visual novel! I love that they/them is a pronoun option and not just the standard he/him and she/her, even if I personally use he/him anyway. I presume the character's pronouns doesn't have an effect on who you can romance, but I've only just gotten to level 2.

I decided to play this a few days ago since I've only skimmed the surface of the racial justice bundle, and wow!!! it blew me away with how much it invested me in the story and characters. I'm thinking of doing all of their routes right now because so far, each one has been painfully cute, fun, and heartfelt. And as someone with mental health issues, I really connected to those aspects of the story, too.

T'was also a happy surprise that Percy, my first route, is voice-acted by Price haha <3 Just a fantastic game.

Okay I never comment on anything but THIS game? Beautiful. Unmatched. Exquisite. Bewitching. And all the synonyms TheSaurus can find for "lovely"

The characters are great, the art is lovely, the soundtrack is a chef's kiss, it is so well-written (and I sorta relate a lot to MC oops), and I can't just "stop" when I play it - I must finish a game in one setting

Thank you for making this game, it was a pleasure to play. I finished Gavin and Percy (as of right now he's my favorite) and do plan to do everyone's routes

Honestly? Can't recommend this one enough. Played a whole route in a glorious one nighter and it was an emotional rollercoaster I'm recommending to everyone I know ASAP. The brightly colored art and endearing characters, side by side with the plot that had me hooked from minute one? Not many VN's hit a sweet spot like this- it's seriously, almost criminally, underrated.

what an absolute gem! loved everything about it, and couldn't put it down once i started! wonderfully written characters, story, and the art is spectacular! i personally went with percys route, absolutely heartbreaking at times, but im definitely considering going back for the others! highly recommend if you're looking for a great VN for a rainy day.

A short summary of my thoughts:

- Diversity among romance options
- LGBTQ+ inclusive, including a no romance route
- Especially loved the inclusion of someone questioning gender, rather than having it all figured out
- Pretty, bright art
 - Stress-free kinda game
 - Sweet characters
 - Some heavy stuff
 - Fully accessible for blind players and screen reader users
 - Overall cute and heartwarming!

One of the best VNs I've ever played. Characters have so much life and the humor is phenomenal. The art, as well, is just...WOW!! I adore this game :')

I've played approximately 25 visual novels on itch.io, and Arcade Spirits is in the top 5, without a doubt. Each character had a personality that was fully fleshed out (Hamza was one of my favorites, I can't deny), which made emotional attachments that much easier to develop. 

This VN really went the extra mile, adding shocking and unexpected events that completely changed the direction of the game, and prompted additional chapters. Nothing felt forced. 

I think the best aspect of Arcade Spirits is that, while playing, it feels that the story was written before it was a VN, and then all the game aspects, choices, etc., were molded to the story. This is really hard to accomplish, and most VNs don't pull it off.

Even though this was $20, it was worth it. 5/5

Wonderful little dating sim with a great, emotional story and characters. Gavin and Percy are definitely best boys. It's not often I can find bigger men in these sorts of games. Soundtrack kicks ass too.

I absolutely ADORE this game. I just finished my first playthrough and I'm starting a second one to try out different options. The characters are really relatable and the writing and voice acting are incredible. Seriously, I love it.

Arcade Spirits is actually the first "pure" (with no other gameplay elements) visual novel I have ever played and I feel like it has set the bar pretty high. The writing would actually work by itself as a decent work of fiction, but together with the interactivity, the well-designed branching options, the art, the music, the voice acting... the result is amazing.

I acquired this game through the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality (that bundle is turning out to be a great way to discover excellent indie developers and inclusive games), but I definitely plan on buying the sequel/expansion for its full price when it comes out. 

Thank you for this great work and my best wishes for any future projects!

PS/edit: I must add, as some other players have mentioned before me, that the depiction of Hamza's character is perhaps the main thing in this game that seems out of place to me. He's a positive character in the story, true, but he's also basically a caricature of an Arab man as seen by non-Arab people, and that doesn't seem like a very good idea, particularly considering how inclusive this game is in other aspects. That could be something to improve in future projects.

Best wishes!

I've just started to play this and so far so good. However, there is something I don't have much clear. In the description it says that decisions will have an "effect on the future of your arcade". Does that mean that there are multiple story routes? If so, I would like to know how many, because when I play a visual novel I like to explore all the possible routes (specially after playing the Zero Escape franchise, which actually require you to explore different routes to progress).

I'm enjoying this a lot so far. Is there any way to buy the OST separately? It's lovely. 

You know, a part of me wished this had actual full voice acting.

Really got me hooked. Lots of great dialogue and I'm excited to play through it again. If you're thinking about splashing the cash, I think it's well worth it. Probably took me 2-4 hours for a playthrough and there's definitely some different choices I want to try.

Oh my gosh I'm in love with this game. It's such a comfort game and in the end I felt really, really connected to the characters. Thank you so much for this.

If anyone is interested, I wrote a review here:

https://bingiegingies.com/2020/09/30/arcade-spirits-review/

This game is really fun and I really love unlocking the prizes and cant wait for any expansions you guys end up doing

Retro Games + Romantic Visual Novel = Arcade Spirits! The art is very good, the plot is unique and I love the characters! Extra bonus for crafting your own character at the beginning of the game, and being a queer friendly game!