We’re approaching one month since the release of Arcade Spirits! From my seat within my Social Media Panopticon, I’ve been watching streams and videos, checking the tweeterings, the forums, the discordians, and more. Now’s a good time to reflect on some of the topics I’ve seen discussed on the game, and answer some commonly asked questions! Let’s get to it.
“How many penguins are in this game?” Many! I lost track of the count, honestly. Our wonderful background artist Taylor Rose liked inserting them into scenes, so we decided to make it a plot point — if you play through Naomi’s romance you’ll learn more.
“Did E.T. alone cause the video game crash?” Well, it was one of the factors — a symptom of the glut and overconfidence of the game industry at the time. We highlighted it, including a photo from the actual dumpster where the extra cartridges were buried, to show how 20XX is different. In our world, Nintendo wasn’t the savior of the industry, just another player in a thriving scene.
“Can I have a hat / a beard / a different shirt plz?” Ahhh, as Francine would say, ‘Life is a series of tradeoffs.’ We decided to go with a limited customization set so we could have your character appear in a dozen different custom scenes, like lying in bed, riding in a van, etc. Money is a finite resource and art costs money, so we decided pulling you into the world was more important. BUT! We’re considering new approaches for future game content.
“Why are all the years censored?” It keeps the game vaguely timeless if we can’t pinpoint specific dates. Good for immersion and longevity. But the game does take place in an alternate ‘present day,’ so you can think of it like a different path down the trousers of time to 2019.
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“Why didn’t you have the whole game voice acted?” Money, honestly. We’re a tiny team making a passion project! So we chose to spend our dollars on emotionally poignant and plot-critical moments, with the ‘quips’ filling in the rest. Also, voice acting prevents you from doing things like renaming your character, or naming various other things you get to name during the game.
“Sequel? DLC? More pls?!” We’d love to do more! It’s going to depend entirely on how well our game sells, though — anything you can do to spread the word would help ensure a future for Arcade Spirits. Leave Steam reviews, tell your friends, tell your enemies, let folks know!
“Can I date Francine?” She’s too much woman for you, silly child.
“Can I date Iris?” Sure, just replace key parts of your anatomy with a USB dongle!
“Iris says there are no bad choices. Doesn’t that make choices meaningless?” Look at it this way. Sierra point and click adventure games like Space Quest would outright kill you if you ‘chose badly.’ LucasFilm Games like Monkey Island let you be wacky and explore conversations and try different things without having to worry about a game over. And, well, we love Monkey Island! We like giving people the means to explore, personalize, and experience the story shaped by their own choices rather than making them worry about choosing ‘wrong.’ Your story is your own, similar to but distinct from someone else’s. Enjoy!
“I want statistics! Who’s the most popular romance? What’s the most popular game?” Look no further than our glorious global Steam achievement stats! Currently Naomi is the most popular, and Wyvern Keep is the most popular game. We don’t track the personality with achievements but Kindly is the most common version of the big finale.
“How do I date Juniper?!” Ooooh, she’s a bit of a hidden route, compared to the others. All I’ll say is that you have to be nice to her, and spend as much time as you can with her. Good luck!
“Do you have merch?” We have merch! T-shirts, pins, buttons! Right now we sell it at conventions, with the next big one being PAX East 2019, but we’re working on a proper storefront. Keep tabs on our twitter, @ArcadeSpiritsVN, for more details!
Okay! That’s all the questions I can think of for now. If you’ve got a question, leave it in the comments or tweet at us or put it in a bottle and toss it out to sea and I’ll see what I can do for you!