Arcade Spirits

So, I can't say I've ever played a dating sim before but I feel like this is something close to what a dating sim feels like. Can someone please confirm this is what dating sims feels like?

On a more serious note, Arcade Spirits is a visual novel by Fiction Factory Games (who I've read is just one person? Can someone confirm?) that was originally released in 2018. It's set in the maybe-distant future, that honestly doesn't seem that far off from where we're heading towards technology wise anyway? (Also, can some explain what the 1983 Video Game Crash was? Like, was this an actual event? Did it really happen or is this something that's just an in-universe thing for the game? Like, they went after E.T. when the game was explaining it but I don't know if that's true?) And centers around the main character, You, that's essentially an adrift young person who can't hold down a job and could easily be read as falling into the beginings of depression.

In a fun devlopment, the game lets you design your character and I spent way too long in that screen playing around with the settings. Of course, I didn't end up going with any of the funner choices and ultimatly just decided on going with the one that looks the most like how I actually do. But! The point still stands! Given the option to play dress up? I Will Play Dress Up!

Going from there, the game gives you a bit of backstory and lore about the wider world of the game, including a general overview of how society works and the similarities and differences of the undisclosed-future and our current tech climate. Along with some general fooling around, as you do when describing the future.

You, the main character, are a young person, probably in their early 20s, and jumping from job to job after moving out of your home town with your best friend for a shot at a better life. You live in a poorly-maintained apartment and worked as a life guard at a community pool until some unnamed catastrophy shut it down and had left you without work. Your roommate, best friend, and biggest cheerleader, Juniper, tells you about a life-coach app that was recomended to her that can help you create your dream life.

Your inner thoughts more or less discredit this from the get go as, apparently, Juniper has given you questionable advice before and the person who recomended the app was less than a good role model. Also, just a quick PSA, don't fall for or join any pyramid schemes, it's never a good idea no matter how convincing or harmless sounding the sale's pitch is.

On from there, the game gives you the choice of whether or not you want to actually download the app. I chose to do it as it seemed like a good plot point. Once you do, the game gives you the option of whether or not you want to go through the tutorial for the app or if you just want to wing it. Playing it safe, I went through the tutorial. The app's AI, Iris, takes you through a run through of what the app does, how it tracks you and your vocal patterns and actions, and how it determines the best coarse of action for you to take about your dream job, love life, ect. There's tracking screens, it moniters your social interactions, and forms a personality profile for you.

You know, spooky AI stuff.

Keeping with my general philosophy of just seeing where things go, I agree to just go along with what the app tells me to do, including getting dressed and going to a job interview that Iris sets up at what she calls my Dream Job, even though M.C. doesn't have any idea what that job would even be. Seeing as we are not, in fact, actually the character and are other being playing this game, we can probably guess what that dream job is.

You ride the bus.

You're dropped off at a strip mall.

You go to the arcade.

And this is where you really get to start displaying those personality trackers that Iris has set up for you. After a few minutes of explaining how strip malls are relics of the past and arguing with Iris about what you're doing there, and how gaming is a cut throat business that has a super high failure rate, you go inside and meet the owner of the Funplex, Francine. And procede to have the most bizzare job interview you have ever gone through.

Afterwards, once you're hired but have yet to fill out any paperwork, you meet a growing cast of others, including coworkers you have to explain to that you work there now and regulars at the arcade that you also have to explain that work there now to. It doesn't take long to realize that the people there, both employees and regulars, really treasure this place.

Between your internal dialogue and the many challenges that arrise to pull the story along, including explaining fire safety to the leader of in-universe dance game group, asking a fighting game teammember to plase not swear too much because of the children, and turning down a guy trying to buy one of the game cabinets for $3000 just so he wouldn't have to stop playing, you can also track your stats on how you're getting along with those around you.

The last thing I did before coming to my cut-off time was try to explain to a lady that yelling at a kid was not good and that her son just put his token in the wrong slot for the game he was trying to play. Teo, the leader of the in-universe dance game group pictured above, helped back me up on the situation, seeing as he and QueenBee, another regular and in-universe game leader, had been near the situation when it happened and saw what went down. The woman did not appreciate this and stormed out with her son.

As it stands, I am very interested in what happens next, because there was a child's birthday party happening when I ran out of time that the rest of the Funplex employees seemed super distressed about, and will more than likely come back to this game in the not so distant future.

Give me a few weeks and I'm sure you guys will get an update post.

That's enough from me tonight.

Happy Holidays.

Happy Yule.

Hope the holidays aren't treating you too hard.

Sweet dreams.