Retro Arcade Shop Simulator is the sort of game that immediately appeals to anyone who remembers spending far to much pocket money in the arcade as a child. The difference is that this time you’re not the kid desperately trying to squeeze another game out of your last few coins. You’re the one running the place.

And apparently, running and arcade involves considerably more work than I remember thinking it did.

You’re responsible for buying machines, arranging the floor, keeping customers happy, dealing with repairs, managing money, and eventually expanding your little arcade into something much bigger. Basically, it’s the dream of owning an arcade, except you also have to deal with the boring stuff that your childhood self never even noticed.

From Dusty Room to Arcade Empire

You begin with a basic space and gradually turn it into the kind of place that would have any kid begging their parents for a handful of tokens or quarters. Arcade cabinets, air hockey, pinball, bowling, racing machines and other attractions can all be added as your business grows. There’s something innately satisfying about watching the place grow.

One minute you’ve got an almost empty room with a couple of machines sitting around, and before long you’re trying to work out where on earth you’re going to fit the next attraction without creating a maze that customers would need a map to navigate.

Somebody Has to Pay the Bills

Of course, owning an arcade isn’t just about buying cool machines and watching people play them.

There’s an economy to manage, with differing token types , income to keep track of, and expansion costs that can quickly eat into your profits. You’ll also gave to think about where the machines are placed and how customers move around your venue.

Then there’s the staff.

Eventually, you can hire people to handle jobs such as collecting tokens, repairing machines, working the cafeteria and dealing with customers. It’s a nice progression because you’re gradually moving from doing absolutely everything yourself to actually getting hands-on with running a business.

Although, let’s be honest here, the early stages mostly involve being the cleaner, cashier, repair man and owner simultaneously – welcome to entrepreneurship.

Nostalgia Does a Lot of the Heavy Lifting

The retro theme is easily one of the game’s biggest selling points of Retro Arcade Shop Simulator.

There are plenty of colorful machines and attractions to fill your arcade with, while the customization options allow you to decide what sort of atmosphere you want. Walls, floors, lighting, signs and decorations can all be changed, allowing you to create something that feels like your own little slice of arcade history.

It won’t necessarily transport you back to the arcades you remember visiting as a kid, but it certainly understands the appeal.

There’s just something about rows of machines glowing away in a dark room that hasn’t lost its appeal.

A Familiar Formula

If you’ve placed a lot of shop or business simulators, Retro Arcade Shop Simulator won’t exactly shock you.

The progression is familiar, the management systems are fairly straightforward, and the basic routine of earning money, buying new equipment and expanding your business is something we’ve all seen before.

However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Summary

Retro Arcade Shop Simulator doesn’t appear to be trying to reinvent the simulator genre, and that’s probably its biggest strength and weakness at the same time.

The formula is familiar, but the arcade setting gives it an appealing personality. Watching an empty room slowly become a busy entertainment venue is satisfying, and the nostalgic presentation makes the whole thing easy to get attached to.

There’s also something wonderfully ironic about spending your childhood money on arcade machines, only to grow up and spend your adult money buying the machines yourself – even if it is for a game.