During their initial announcement, many were left wondering what exactly this game was going to offer. Of course, Nosebleed Interactive had provided a vague trailer for Arcade Paradise, but it was still enticing for a number of reasons. For me, it was the idea of a form of nostalgic gameplay that caught the attention of publisher Wired Productions that made me anxious to see more. Now that I had a chance to play the demo from Steam Next Fest, I can say that I am both surprised and perplexed.
Gameplay
With the core base of this game being about turning a laundromat into the next arcade paradise, I was expected to find the gameplay experience to be more of a tycoon-type game. Instead, we have a first-person, hands-on ground-level job to work out and build up to the arcade business we strive for.
Taking on the role of a youth who has been given the chance to run one of their father’s old businesses, players will need to actually put in the hours to get this building where they want it to go. That means you'll have to manage actual work tasks like washing and drying laundry, cleaning up trash, cleaning the toilet, removing gum, collecting profits and putting it in the safe, and maintaining the machines that break. You have a handy watch that has a set timer that alerts you when a wash load and dry load are finished so you don't forget to move them to the next step at least.
The quicker you are at completing laundry, the more you get paid for it. The cleaner your business is, the more people will come there. The more customers you get to come to get their laundry done, the more customers you have playing your arcade games while they wait. Granted, there are no actual physical customers, and the game functions off of the idea that customers are there, but don't expect to see any actual NPC's walking around. Honestly, it is a smart choice because it is a smaller building and that could easily become problematic.
As you earn more money, you will be able to purchase more arcade machines to put in the arcade room. Once you buy a machine, it will show up at the start of the next business day. The more machines, the more money you make, the faster your business grows. It will be important to make sure everything is running smoothly and the building is clean if you want the business to grow quickly. Hopefully, players can reach a point where the laundromat closes down and the building is just a fully functioning arcade.
Doing the chores isn't all bad though. Each task, aside from the laundry itself, is designed like a video game challenge. The more points you earn, the more money you get as well. When you take out the trash, there is a target that shows up and the closer to the center you get the more points. Each task presents a different mini-game experience which definitely helps keep the game from being dull.
At least on top of all the work-like stuff you have to do, you can always stop and play the arcade games yourself if you want. Every arcade machine you have is playable and beatable, so don't forget to stop and have fun. But also don't forget to head home on time because if you stay too late at the business you will be late the next day which means less money.
Expectations
To start this off, what I wasn't expecting is to have to actually be doing work tasks in the laundromat. However, it will be interesting to see how long that part of the game really even lasts. It seems like if you do a good enough job, you might be able to build the arcade part of the building up rather quickly. So there is a sort of work hard, play hard mindset that can be worked with here.
I hope there will be some sort of assistant or hired employee option at some point in the game as well. It would be nice to have the option to hire someone to handle the work side of things while just enjoying the arcade games in the back for an in-game day or two without the loss of overall funds that could be earned in a day.
Overall, the game has a pretty straightforward mindset and balance style to it. It would be nice if the arcade side of the business could completely take over the laundromat so that is a thing of the past completely though. I know if my arcade starts earning enough money, I won't be bothering with doing any of the laundry or work tasks – aside from cleaning up – most likely.
Conclusion
Arcade Paradise definitely has started off in a direction I wouldn't have thought of taking myself. From the demo alone, I can't honestly tell if it is going to pay off and make the full game experience better or if it is just a strange way to get the virtual arcade business rolling. I am definitely interested in seeing what they do to keep the game entertaining during a literal work-style setup. It was entertaining for a little while, don't get me wrong, but I don't think this will hold a lot of player’s attention for too long as it currently is.
