198X

Fun idea, but the story and character in this game are incredibly under written. A lot of fake angst in this ("We were the misfits, the freaks!" Okay buddy, you like video games, and as a 38 year old who grew up in the early 80s that's actually pretty normal even back then). Going into the game the short run time was a plus, not a con, but the trumpeted "Cinematic story" was non-existent. If your story doesn't have heart, and the character(s) are (ahem) two dimensional at best, we're just waiting for it to end (and that it ends on a so-called cliffhanger... a non-existent one that just promises more fake angst later, was a choice). Hire a different writer for part 2.

Back to a simpler time, when you could smoke and play till the early morning hours. This game nails the vibe when video games were for the rebel, the misfits, the wizards torn between worlds.

This is a hard one to class as there it is a nice tribute to arcade games of old. A few short and sharp experiences that have been taped together with a cool cinematic story. The slightly pixelated cartoony visuals really lend itself nicely to the overall game play here. You get a small shot at a beat em up, horizontal shooter, an 'outrun like' racer, side scrolling hack n slash and a mini RPG. All of which really do capture the feel of popular 80's arcade games in a satisfying way. What is really impressive is how they are all blended into the story of a teenager getting lost within the 'arcade world'. That, coupled with the amazing soundtrack really captured to imagination of the fictional character's love of gaming. However, the big let down is how short the whole experience is. As mentioned above, there are only 5 games in total and they are nothing more than a couple of levels each. You'll probably be left a little disappointed as this game can breeze by in one sitting. But once you factor in the price of around $15AUD and the great cinematic presentation, it's still worth it. Hopefully 198X acts as a bench mark for what these developers will build on in the future.

I knew what the game could offer me: a short story with a melancoly vibes from the 80s with several gameplay from arcade games. I was looking for a short game to do in a week-end, and it was perfect: the music really add something to the experience. I suppose it helps that I enjoy videogames history. I'm looking forward for the next game

Ok, I wanna start by saying that the biggest drawback of 198X is its short length. This will only take you a chilled session to finish. You may find some of the levels challenging, but you definitely won't lose sleep over it :P However, as far as artistic games go, 198X is a very nice experience indeed. The homage Hi-Bit Studios does to old school gaming is quite heartfelt, with its 5 levels sprawling all different game genres from back in the day, with a nice story that makes you connect with that feeling of going to the arcades and just becoming immersed in all the different visuals and sounds, forgetting all about life's troubles. I liked it very much, but I find that this kind of game is more akin to watching a movie than a playing a game. But if you like gaming experiences like The Stanley Parable and also have a deep-rooted love for 80's gaming, then by all means give this one a go! Now, here's hoping they finish a sequel, and make it a larger game ^^