Arcade Paradise is a rewarding business sim that rewards hard work

One of the coolest things I could’ve wished for as a kid was to have my own arcade, though they weren’t somewhere I often visited beyond very occasional trips. Why does Arcade Paradise make me nostalgic when I grew up playing on home consoles? That beautiful electronic soundtrack likely helps, though I’m otherwise still figuring that out.

Arcade Paradise was originally released on flatscreen platforms two years ago, and this light management sim comes with 39 playable arcade cabinets. You play Ashley, a teenager from Grindstone, whose father gives him the task of managing an abandoned laundromat. Earning money through a series of gamified chores, you'll gradually purchase new games to convert this into a fully-fledged arcade.

Moments like the theatre mode-style cutscenes betray Arcade Paradise’s flatscreen roots, which hampers immersion. You could explore some scenes. We don’t want a cutscene that plays while you’re talking to your dad about what is going on. However, there are some compromises that make the VR version better. It’s obvious this is not just a simple port. The washing machine and dryer have also been designed to better suit VR’s physicality. Only 12 out of 39 arcade games are fully VR-ready. That’s okay. It’s not necessary to revamp every game into a full-motion control when the list includes Pac-Man, Pac-Man Parody and Crate Stacking. The standard controls work fine but the VR features make me even more appreciative. Future Home: enter reality has a mixed-reality mode that I love. Placing multiple arcade cabinets wherever you’d like across your living space feels excellent.

There’s considerable depth to running this business. The more arcade games you play, the more they become popular. This will gradually earn you more money. Depending on your income, you can adjust both the price and difficulty of each game. You will be encouraged to play more since the daily arcade challenges offer a new currency which can help expand your business. Whether that’s putting out advertisements or hiring an assistant manager who collects cash from each machine, you can slowly make this a more efficient operation.

Sadly, you can’t just spend the entire working day playing video games since the laundromat requires continual management. You must also clean up the toilet and pick up gum used by customers. Along with washing clothes and drying them, you need to collect the trash that is left on the floor each day. Washing clothes will be your main source of income until you get more customers. The game is described best as slow-burning because you do not immediately start with the entire arcade. Your arcades will not be the first money maker. It’s up to you to convince your father that it is worth converting. Even if they’re gamified, doing endless laundry, cleaning toilets, and picking up trash for other people is not my idea of relaxing. Over time, repetition can become a problem. Arcade Paradise VR is a game that takes some time to get into. I urge you to persevere. After spending many hours upgrading the laundromat I discovered a management simulation that is utterly captivating. Arcade Paradise VR rewards your efforts, but doesn’t make it a chore. Gradually seeing this arcade grow is immensely satisfying.

That’s further boosted by the entertaining arcade games available. It’s not surprising that some of the games are short, when there are 39 options to choose from. Nosebleed’s arcade games have a lot of depth, and I was pleasantly surprised. They aren’t just quick mini-games and while they aren’t all equal, I felt encouraged to return.

Running on standalone hardware means the visual presentation has understandably taken a hit compared to the flatscreen version, though Arcade Paradise VR still looks great on Quest 3. My playthrough was not without its technical problems. I could not pull up my PDA and the environment would fail to load multiple times. Restarting the game usually fixed these problems and I could never replicate those issues when I tried.

There’s a decent set of comfort options, too. Arcade Paradise VR features artificial stick-based movement and teleportation. You can choose from snap or smooth turns with adjustable angles, and turn speed. There is no seated mode, but you can reset your height to work just as well. You can also change your grip and choose which hand you want to use. It’s not everyone’s idea to have fun. I’m excited to see what comes next with the

. The

is on its way and I am excited to see the next step.