198X

released on Jun 20, 2019

198X is not just a beat ’em up, a shoot ’em up, a racing game, a ninja game and an RPG. This is a love letter to the golden age of arcade games – yet with a scope that was never possible in the actual 1980s. It’s a story about finding yourself – and your self-confidence – in the world of video games. A coming-of-age story told through multiple game genres, worlds and characters. Feel the sensation of fighting, shooting, driving, jumping and role-playing – combined with emotional, cinematic storytelling. And what happens when the line between reality and game starts to blur…?


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Una historia cargada de nostalgia, y ese debe de ser el mayor logro de éste juego, que no es para nada malo, pero tampoco presenta un reto formidable.
Juego muy corto (1h aprox), donde la gran parte es un walking simulator.

I just had to get out.

198X feels obtuse as a playable game with time consuming menus and games with extremely basic and unforgiving controls. But that’s exactly how it should be. Mimicking the struggle of traveling to an arcade you know you shouldn't be to play the hardest, most unoptimized games. Its how it was always meant to be, and 198X knows it.

It’s like a taste sampler for a few popular games/genres of the late 80s and early 90s. One of the five games is an endless runner section which, while certainly still fun, stands out for not being a direct homage to another game. The plot served enough of a purpose to link the games together though the cutscenes could have been shorter for my tastes. The story felt meandering and somewhat unearned, and it took me out of enjoying the game for its presentation of a bite-sized gameplay variety pack.

Nice little story game in a 1980s setting. Cool pixel art, funny mini-games, good sound design.

I have mixed feelings about this game. On one hand the short story really didn't stick with me at all. If the game were a bit longer the story could have been fleshed out more and could have taken a more relatable route.

On the other hand, the arcade games. THE ARCADE GAMES. I was not expecting these arcade games to be so much fun. Not only that, but they were also mechanically very well made. I usually expect arcade games like these to have poor mechanics or wonky controllers, but both of these were in excellent condition. These arcade games really carried this game to the point were I can happily recommend the game and hope that maybe there is a sequel sometime in the future.