Arcade Spirits | Switch Review

I’m admittedly a big fan of visual novels/dating sims, and Arcade Spirits by Fiction Factory Games scratched my itch for a good experience and then some. This is a charming, feel-good game that has plenty of Easter eggs and references to both classic and modern video games. I didn’t expect to fall head-over-heels in love with this title, but I absolutely did within the first few minutes. Let’s dive into why I loved it so much!

Player One

You start the game with an admittedly limited character customization screen. You can be male or female, and can change your name, your hair color and length, eye color, and the coloring of your clothing. After you make the best version of you or your fantasy character, you start the game itself. Your best friend is worried about you and insists you download an AI app to your phone to find your dream job and partner. After doing these steps, you find yourself working at the Funplex, an arcade specializing in retro games. All of the employees of the arcade are instantly likable, and you can choose to pursue friendship or romance with any of them.

Player Two

This game utilizes a personality system that aligns you with certain characters. You can be gutsy, kind, logical, quirky, or neutral. These choices define who will be the best romantic partner for you, as well as who you will befriend the most. Should you become close to the accountant, the British retro gamer, or the cosplayer? Maybe the esports professional or the dance prodigy instead? The choice is up to you.

Romance Isn’t Dead

I really liked how Arcade Spirits implemented the dating aspect. It is extremely wholesome and doesn’t want to make you want to hide your Nintendo Switch in shame. Nothing explicit happens, and the dialogue is sweet yet not saccharine. The romance feels like a legitimate love, and no one in the game cares about your sexuality; they embrace it. This is incredibly refreshing and inclusive.

Graphics and Voice Acting

I simply loved the graphics and voice acting. The visual style is vibrant, with lots of neon colors and bright colors. Each character is assigned a different color, making their text easy to differentiate from the others. If you’re color-blind, they’ve also made concessions for that as well. The voice acting, though sparse, is excellent.

A Few Bugs

Even though this is a spectacular title, I did have a couple of quibbles with this game. First, there were a few grammatical errors. This isn’t a big deal and probably won’t be noticed by most players, but if you’re eagle-eyed like I am, you’ll see them. I also had a speech repeat itself in a later chapter after I had already completed it, and answered it with the exact same responses it gave me. Lastly, some of the dialogue seemed to become stuck for a short time. I would press the A button to move to the next paragraph, only to have to mash it four or five times to progress. These are small gripes, but noticeable.

Verdict

I absolutely adored Arcade Spirits, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good visual novel/dating sim that is wholesome and aimed towards the gaming community. The story is engaging, the characters are easy to bond with, the graphics are gorgeous, and the voice acting is great. Besides a few small bugs, this is a must-buy.

To hear me talk more about Arcade Spirits, be sure to listen to Episode 294 of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:28:45 time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Arcade Spirits provided by PQube Indies for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4.