THEY'RE LYING TO YOU! DON'T BE A FOOL!
Look, I'm sometimes hesitant to give a game a 10/10, as I'm sure many reviewers that work under the big outlets like IGN or Gamespot are as well. It gives off the false impression that said game is 'perfect' or 'untouchable', when really, at least to me, it just means that it captured the full ambitions of what it set out to do in the first place.
American Arcadia is undoubtedly one of those games. It doesn't promise much, boasting an incredibly simple premise. It's a story about an everyman named Trevor Hills who must escape the retro-futuristic 70s-inspired city of Arcadia, where nothing is ever as it seems, and the mysterious woman Angela Solano, working under the codename 'Kovacs' who helps him. To reveal anything beyond that, as the developers themselves have done in the marketing, I feel, is perhaps betraying the multi-layered, complex, and oh-so-engaging narrative that American Arcadia delivers.
The gameplay is equally simple, perhaps too much so, depending on what you want out of this game. That said, if you're a fan of 2D puzzle-platformers like Limbo, Inside, or Little Nightmares, you will be right at home with this, at least when you play as Trevor.
That said, if you're aching for a little more variation in the gameplay and puzzles, that's where Angela comes in. When playing as her, the perspective shifts to first person, where you solve puzzles and explore the facilities that run Arcadia to help Trevor escape and for both of you to uncover the truth behind the city.
The split between these two leads and their gameplay styles never ceases to be fun and well-earned, paced extremely well throughout, much like the narrative.
The script and cast are stellar, combining sharp, witty writing with the vocal performances of Yuri Lowenthal, Krizia Bajos, and Cissy Jones, among others, that bring so much gravitas and depth to each character. There's not a single weak link amongst its huge cast, and there's a fantastic creative and vocal direction throughout that easily eclipses AAA titles of a larger caliber.
Despite there being several technical issues, such as sporadic frame drops and geometry bugs, it really didn't stop American Arcadia from becoming an all-time favorite of mine. It's a truly fantastic experience, and the team at Out of the Blue should be proud of what they have made here.
To me, both American Arcadia and Hi-Fi Rush are surefire proof that, despite whatever creative or managerial faux-pas may take place in the gaming world, there will always be games made with such love and passion that they serve as a firm and continuing reminder of why you fell in love with gaming in the first place.
10/10
Look, I'm sometimes hesitant to give a game a 10/10, as I'm sure many reviewers that work under the big outlets like IGN or Gamespot are as well. It gives off the false impression that said game is 'perfect' or 'untouchable', when really, at least to me, it just means that it captured the full ambitions of what it set out to do in the first place.
American Arcadia is undoubtedly one of those games. It doesn't promise much, boasting an incredibly simple premise. It's a story about an everyman named Trevor Hills who must escape the retro-futuristic 70s-inspired city of Arcadia, where nothing is ever as it seems, and the mysterious woman Angela Solano, working under the codename 'Kovacs' who helps him. To reveal anything beyond that, as the developers themselves have done in the marketing, I feel, is perhaps betraying the multi-layered, complex, and oh-so-engaging narrative that American Arcadia delivers.
The gameplay is equally simple, perhaps too much so, depending on what you want out of this game. That said, if you're a fan of 2D puzzle-platformers like Limbo, Inside, or Little Nightmares, you will be right at home with this, at least when you play as Trevor.
That said, if you're aching for a little more variation in the gameplay and puzzles, that's where Angela comes in. When playing as her, the perspective shifts to first person, where you solve puzzles and explore the facilities that run Arcadia to help Trevor escape and for both of you to uncover the truth behind the city.
The split between these two leads and their gameplay styles never ceases to be fun and well-earned, paced extremely well throughout, much like the narrative.
The script and cast are stellar, combining sharp, witty writing with the vocal performances of Yuri Lowenthal, Krizia Bajos, and Cissy Jones, among others, that bring so much gravitas and depth to each character. There's not a single weak link amongst its huge cast, and there's a fantastic creative and vocal direction throughout that easily eclipses AAA titles of a larger caliber.
Despite there being several technical issues, such as sporadic frame drops and geometry bugs, it really didn't stop American Arcadia from becoming an all-time favorite of mine. It's a truly fantastic experience, and the team at Out of the Blue should be proud of what they have made here.
To me, both American Arcadia and Hi-Fi Rush are surefire proof that, despite whatever creative or managerial faux-pas may take place in the gaming world, there will always be games made with such love and passion that they serve as a firm and continuing reminder of why you fell in love with gaming in the first place.
10/10
4 Comments
I got stuck on the ADA button during the Vis-o-Rama sequence and couldn't get past it. Sorry to hear your experience with it wasn't as fulfilling as mine, though!
"it captured the full ambitions of what it set out to do in the first place" is exactly what I look for in a 5-star game as well; those are almost the exact words I've used to describe it before haha. Great review!
Oh wow, that’s awesome haha! Clearly cut from the same cloth, eh? Many thanks, Josh!
grihajedy
5 months ago