Imaginative Spooks: DXC2: Arcadletra

Intro:

When I started Arcadletra, I was reminded of the Freddy’s Fazbear Pizzeria. It was because of the setting, I have never seen a haunted arcadce before in any form of media- much like a pizzeria. Arcadletra might be short with minimal gameplay in it, but it is an extremely scary journey that makes me want to seek out of Vidas Games other projects.

Midnight, the arcade, and you:

You are in an Arcade after it closes. Then spooky stuff starts happening, a demon is running amok and a woman is begging for your help. We are not given context for anything. The story is quite limp in this regard. However, that is not a bad thing with Arcadletra. It has the air of nightmare to it, a thin strand of logic that ties together a sequence of surreal and nightmarish events in an otherwise familiar (for some people) environment. The little things set the player on edge. Such the paint around the room edges giving the appearance of seeping blood. The total and utter silence that surrounds you at all times. Arcadletra might not have much story it is a master class of atmosphere.

Notice the blood..

The game is practically a Walking Sim, which is not a good or bad thing per se, even though I haven't had a favorable view of most of them. You mostly walk around the Arcadia, plugging in spooky arcade cabinets and getting jumped on by a genuinely disturbing demon. I think Arcadletra works as a Walking Simulator as it successfully makes you feel vulnerable. It successfully replicates the feeling of being in a nightmare, the sensation of utter helplessness as reality seemingly unravels. Even though you are technically never in any danger. The game uses excellent sound design and lighting to give the impression of danger. I swear the sound of that demon makes will haunt me for a long time.

Conclusion:

Arcadletra uses lighting, sound design, and the threat of failure to create a nightmarish rabbit hole that left me feeling chilled to the core. Maybe one day Vidas Games might rise above doing cheap indie titles. I look forward to the day he does so.

A word to you:

Imaginative Ramblings is a part time gaming blog and opinion site. If you enjoy my work and want to help sustain Imaginative Ramblings, then you can donate via the Paypal link at the bottom of the page or by using the following referral links when buying from Humble Bundle or Amazon. Just five dollars can go a long way in keeping this site up.