Arcade Paradise

What a thing. Arcade Paradise made me think of Outrun and GTA and Mr Driller, and also my own working life in my teens as a dishwasher and a double-glazing salesperson, sure. But it also made me think of those mazes tiled on the walls of Warren Street tube. Warren Street! Get it? Little puzzles made to be solved between trains, but tricky enough to encourage you to miss your train in the first place. Then you solve the maze and you're off into a wider maze of the underground network. And maybe, who knows, there's a maze beyond that too.

This unusual game has you managing your dad's launderette while running a secret arcade out the back.

While it takes a while to get going, Arcade Paradise is an outstanding celebration of the '90s arcade scene with a generous helping of fully playable retro love letters.

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

If you're nostalgic for the 90s and genuinely enjoy minigame compilations, Arcade Paradise is utterly essential. The title's tongue-in-cheek tycoon gameplay and simulator window dressing serve as the backdrop for dozens upon dozens of video game parodies, spanning a GTA-style Pac-Man clone through to an OutRun-inspired futuristic racer. Not every idea shines, but the sheer density of content alone means you'll never get bored. And with an addictive progression system that's forever tempting you with something shiny on the horizon, this release actually lives up to its name: it's truly an arcade paradise.

We wholly recommend Arcade Paradise if you enjoy either simulation-style games or spent the '90s with a pocketful of quarters down at the local arcade. The narrative centred on a lazy young adult proving to their father they can run a successful business will never really grip you, and – believe it or not – laundering clothes and peeling gum off the machines becomes a bit tiresome. Yet the arcade games themselves and the sheer creativity and charm Nosebleed Interactive has packed into them more than makes up for the monotony. If we stumbled upon these games in the back of our local laundromat, we'd spend actual money there. But since that seems rather unlikely, we're sure to boot up Arcade Paradise to try for some global rankings long after we're done with laundering clothes.

I wish that Arcade Paradise VR tightened up the campaign a lot more because its slow burn simply doesn't work as well in VR.

Arcade Paradise VR feels like a natural adaptation from flat-screen to VR. A great job has been done utilizing the PSVR2’s features like haptics and adaptive triggers to enhance immersion. While this VR version will likely be more enjoyable for fans of the base game rather than newcomers, Arcade Paradise VR remains a unique and immersive experience. It offers some of the best gameplay you’ll find in the simulation management genre.

Arcade Paradise VR lets you run your own business while enjoying classic games of the yesteryears, complete with comfort options to alleviate most hassles when playing VR titles for prolonged periods.

Arcade Paradise VR is a compelling title that successfully merges business simulation with the excitement of arcade gaming. Despite minor technical issues and a limited number of VR-adapted games, the overall package is highly enjoyable and one that I can easily recommend.