Launder Your Way To Success in Arcade Paradise VR

Arcade Paradise VR doesn’t mess around when it comes to nostalgia. The main menu drops you in front of a classic arcade cabinet in some black void with a carpet that instantly teleported me back ~~twen~~… ~~thirt~~… a good number of years. Man, I’m getting old.

Once this game gets going, you’ll be managing your own arcade keeping the place tidy, buying new machines, setting the cost per play and bonus you get to play the games in your spare time! There are challenges on each of the 37 games available that once completed boost the cabinets’ popularity. So being a good manager mostly depends on playing lots of games and less micromanaging resources etc.

There is already a standard “flat” version of the game out there. Still, the VR turns up the immersion and lets you bathe in a time that’s long since passed, with its chiptunes neon lights and the occasional grimy toilet … That last one I might prefer less immersion.

There are also six games exclusive to VR (such as that basketball hoop you still find in “arcades” today) and six regular games that have been “enhanced for VR” including a lightgun that feels surprisingly authentic.

Don’t expect everything to be fully interactive though, some of the early cabinets looked like I should be able to use my hands to press the buttons but it relied on the controller buttons. That said a number of these games benefit from the responsiveness and directness of physical buttons.

Games designed for VR motion controls unlock slowly, which made me feel impatient but does prevent gimmick overwhelm. Everything does tend to work as you expect with good audio and haptic feedback to give things some weight and impact.

My early gripes with the VR controls seem to have been patched, tracking is accurate and consistent and I don’t get my hands stuck in doors as often. However, there’s still an issue where the physical size of the Sense Controller rings makes using the PDA/menu really awkward. You just can’t get your hands close enough together.

You’ll have to work your way up to running a full-on arcade though. The story sees you taking over a launderette while your father is away. King Wash just happens to have a handful of arcade machines out back for customers to use while they wait. You’ll be making money from the laundry machines at first, but it’s not long before your arcade can take over and you can ditch the daily grind of loading and emptying washers and dryers.

At one point I made $700 on laundry and thought that was the way forward but it gets boring fast and the VR controls can make things awkward; I’d get my hand stuck in a door and at one point a pile of clothes pinged itself behind a bench and I couldn’t get it back. Thankfully, after a few in-game days, you’ll unlock challenges and daily tasks that push your focus towards the arcade.

Once you have a few machines and challenges to pursue, your days will go by pretty quickly. On several occasions, I got hooked on a new cabinet and was compelled to complete all three challenges before moving on, and some of these challenges were hard, seemingly impossible at first. There’s a lot of room to master each game if you want to, or you can just spend a bit of time on each machine until you find one that really clicks for you.

You’ll recognise the games even if there are no big names. There’s a take on Pac-Man that reminds me of the OG GTA. There’s a twin-stick shooter, a match-three puzzler and a riff on Missile Command. There are games with one-bit graphics and some with full 3D. It’s an astounding variety with something for everyone, it just takes some patience to save up the funds to purchase them all.

I’ve not played the original Arcade Paradise so I wasn’t expecting the arcade games to be of such high consistent quality, but I’m glad I finally got into the game with the VR version. It’s such a trip down memory lane and actually feels like you’re in an arcade.

Some games are better than others: Video Air Hockey is awkward and boring, Zombat 2 a twin-stick shooter plays nicely and has pretty pixels but you’ll get swamped just thinking about buying an upgraded weapon, the lightgun game Smoke ‘Em is tight and authentic but has a single shallow game mode. Some of my favourites like UFO Assault Attack Vector have super simple graphics and gameplay but scratch that arcade itch and the “just one more go” compulsion. You’ll find some games you love and some you hate but most of the time you’ll make money fast enough that your next cabinet is just around the corner.

Arcade Paradise VR has its flaws but I can’t think of a better way to travel back down a neon-soaked memory lane despite the niggles and the early game grind Arcade Paradise VR does have immaculate vibes. And hey if you don’t have a PSVR2 you can go try out the flat version, once you own that you can even upgrade to the VR version for £6.99