Meet 198X, a hidden gem

A narrative-driven game about how it was growing up in the 80s that took me by surprise, at the same time it presents a mixed bag of mini-games inspired by classics of that era, slightly enhanced with modern design. As the protagonist embarks on a journey of discovery deep down in an arcade of an old factory's basement, we learn what it was like for them.

The game starts by making you play a beat'em'up with two levels and an artistic ending. This hyped me up so much on its own! In the middle of beating them up, the camera pans out, showing what could be the level's boss jumping down into a wild fight, but it all fades to black as the actual story begins. A lot of creative vision has been put into this little gem.

My character, if you could call it that way... It is weird to say that I don't really know if it's the right to call them "my character" since I never control them. Either way, they have no name. He's a teenager presented only as "KID", because, uh, that's what any grown up would call him. He lives in the suburbs and there's nothing to do. Have you watched "That 70s Show"? It's just like his life, but in a town with an arcade.

Speaking of which, he randomly walks by an arcade. He doesn't know that's where those stairs lead to. The way the narrator tells us how it happened forges a strong empathic link. We easily understand what goes on in their mind before mustering the courage to dive right in. As a gamer, it was very easy to identify myself with how they felt before a miraculous, extraordinary vision, even if I'm actually from the 90s.

The art in general is magnificent. Anyone into pixel art will feel proud of its existence. Every scene is amazing. It's never over the top, yet it never stops being gorgeous each time a new setting is show. And that happens every few seconds! Visually, the game is stunning. Art from the gameplay parts are great, too. Not Street Fighter III good, but still awesome.

One of the first few mini-games we get to play seems to be a tribute to Gradius. It's surprisingly not that easy. I had to choose "continue" a couple of times before getting through. Even though these mini-games always come somewhat dumbed down, they are still challenging enough. I'd say it's as easy as necessary to keep the player rolling through the game, which is good, considering it is all about the story, after all.

The journey of growth happens as much outside the arcade as it does in it, so expect watching a "slice of life" story of things you've probably already dabbled in yourself. Acting as a good reminder of what's important and how exactly teenage life is different from that of an adult, there were often times when it shared a perspective I hadn't thought of before.

All in all, 198X is a hidden gem. It's kind of hard to recommend for a specific audience, because it may be challenging enough to turn off the casual crowd, even though it is super interesting creatively and story-wise. If you can endure the gameplay, which is necessary to feel what exactly the narrator really means, then I recommend you pick it up. The best moments are when gameplay and narration happen at the same time. It brings the feels!