- Image of Arcade Spirits courtesy of Fiction Factory Games and PQube

Arcade Spirits: A Love Letter to Arcade Culture – Weekly Indie Spotlight

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Liesel Booker | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 3:57 PM ET

Arcade Spirits is a charming visual novel that asks an intriguing question: What if the North American video game crash of 1983 never happened and arcades never stopped being powerhouses? You create your own character and set off to work in an arcade in a world where the crash never happened and arcades never stopped being cool, meeting a colorful cast of characters and making self-discoveries along the way.

Arcade Spirits Tells Engrossing Stories

Developed by Fiction Factory Games, Arcade Spirits features a host of appealing characters, all brought together through different aspects of arcade culture. There’s Naomi, a tech junkie who loves restoring retro games, Teo, a dance game champion who wants to be friends with everyone, Percy, a high score chaser who wants to beat a world record for personal reasons, and more. As you interact with them, they reveal their stories and secrets as fully fleshed-out characters – and of course, you can romance some of them. There’s even an AI phone assistant who’s a bubbly character in her own right.

Shape Your Character’s Look and Personality

Image of Arcade Spirits courtesy of Fiction Factory Games and PQube

You can customize your character’s look at the beginning of the game, but the character customization goes deeper than that. The different dialogue options correspond with different personality traits. Certain characters find certain personality traits more appealing than others, which affects your chances of romancing them. In addition, the climax of the story changes depending on which personality trait is the most prominent. This gives the player great incentive to replay the story and see all the endings.

Conclusion

While Arcade Tycoon focuses on building an arcade and Arcade Paradise focuses on playing the games, Arcade Spirits centers around arcade culture and the stories it generates. There are a lot of references to classic games and fun easter eggs to discover. With its three-dimensional characters and cool techno soundtrack, Arcade Spirits offers an immersive experience that makes you feel the atmosphere of hanging out at an arcade and dropping quarters in your favorite games. If you enjoy visual novels or you’re nostalgic for old-school arcades, this game is for you. It can be purchased on Steam for $19.99.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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