RetroRealms Arcade was provided by Boss Team Games for review. Thank you!
In a time when many conversations are being had about the state of modern horror films and the varying degrees of both quality and success they manage to achieve and obtain, it's somewhat serendipitous that RetroRealms Arcade has ceremoniously and confidently waltzed onto our most beloved digital marketplace, bringing with it a wisened, confident and, purposeful celebratory look back at two of the most popular Horror IP's around under an approachable - an arguable rarity for the genre - retro mask.
Loading into the game is an experience compared to other "collection" games, something a package such as this could be undesirably and undeservedly attributed to. No selection screens are to be found, asking which experience to dive into. Instead, we have a derelict Arcade setting where each game is fittingly presented as an arcade cabinet and proudly displayed. Interacting with the cabinets in the fully realized 3D environment naturally starts the appropriate game, but the real surprise goes above and beyond what could otherwise be just another licensed horror game.
Mere timid steps beyond the cabinets lies an initially unassuming museum which, through the use of the in-game currency "tickets," you'll be able to unlock trophies for each of the respective movies in the form of props, be masks, weapons, and various other trinkets of that ilk. Descriptions further emphasize the importance of each item in its relevant universe, culminating in a clear, coordinated display of love and respect for the IPs at hand. They'll all be blank until you collect said tickets by jumping into the grandiose cabinets themselves…
The platforming expertise proudly displayed by such a team as revered developer Wayforward, known for the excellent Shantae series, as well as other celebrated titles like the River City Girls games and RWBY: Arrowfell, is evident throughout both Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead. You navigate through the worlds with pixel-perfect precision, utilizing the standard repertoire of platforming skills - rolling, dropping through ledges, wall jumps, etc. - to get from left to right. It's all to be expected in such a genre. Still, the familiarity with these mechanics allows us to compare them with other such titles and, in doing so, truly shows off the excellence with which they have been implemented.
However, this gets blurred when many enemies and other obstacles are haphazardly placed on the screen, making the experience feel overwhelmingly unfair and unbalanced as you bounce from toxins to zombies to fire with reckless abandon. Again, it's certainly par for the course with a game such as this, but it makes it no less cumbersome at best and frustrating at worst.
RetroRealms' combat is incredibly satisfying in Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead, with the former focusing on close-quarter combat throughout the story chapters. At the same time, the latter both incorporates and encourages more use of ranged attacking. That's not to disrespectfully say that the ever-so-lovely Mr Myers doesn't enjoy throwing the iconic horror staple that is a pitchfork. However, the masterful level design throughout Ash's story simply lends themselves more to the ranged weaponry.
Both campaigns also allow you to traverse to the Darkrealm, an alternate version of the level, at a whim. Here, you may find copious amounts of menacingly strong enemies, many of which will revive after just a few short seconds, but also ever-so-slightly changes to the general layout of the level. The time you can spend in the Darkrealm is limited, with the meter recharging over time, and serious kudos to those who choose to delve in for longer than needed - it's almost as unfair a challenge as there is. Regardless, using the Darkrealm between the available experiences ensures a unifying design language is utilized. Still, here in lies the glaring problem with RetroRealms, it highlights the lack of variety.
The near-immediately apparent and minute difference between RetroRealms' campaigns is negligible. Should you own them, both stories can be completed with either character, and the difference it makes to your experience is, unfortunately, nonexistent. There isn't enough nuance between each character to provide enough variation in the core gameplay loop to get truly excited about. All the characters, including available DLC characters Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell, use an assortment of projectiles, can Ducktales-esque bounce off of enemies, can charge up their melee for an attack that can pierce multiple enemies, and so the list goes on. I understand it is all in the sacred name of balance, but it makes the actual choice of the character largely unimportant, and it dampens any excitement I had for future cabinets to be added via DLC should they all play the same.
The potential for crossovers, should IP holders allow it, is truly enormous, but what about the gameplay potential? It does not seem so exciting should the current course of action continue to be adhered to. Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove expertly tackled this potential gameplay conundrum - each character being unique. Still, each level is getting reworked/remixed to incorporate each character's unique moveset. I hope to see Wayforward look, well, forward to how they can diversify their future packs. This all being said, the lack of variety did not diminish my enjoyment in either gratuitous violence-filled pack separately, but just the end product as a cohesive whole. I picked my OLED Steam Deck up often, even when I only had 5 minutes to revel in the pixelated, over-the-top, nostalgia-inducing experiences.
The Steam Deck, naturally, handles both of these experiences with ease and looks gorgeous while doing so. As we have come to expect by now from the studio, clean and detailed models bring the respective worlds to life and are as respectful to the core materials as any IP holder could hope for. This pixelated beauty wasn't taxing to the system, with a steady 90fps maintained throughout regardless of the chaos that was happening on-screen, with no adjustments needed.
Outside of RetroRealms' core games, the museum occasionally resulted in a singular frame drop or two but consistently stuttered if you simultaneously moved the player character and camera. While it isn't drastic, it's indeed noticeable, and changing the in-game settings did little to alleviate this oddity. The overall amount of time spent in the museum is minor, making this rare technical hiccup largely inconsequential.
The little time spent in the museum is arguably for the better, specifically when it comes to the higher battery usage. However, the difference in the drain between both aspects of the game is negligible. A measly 12W draw equates to a near-5-hour expectancy, whilst the 2D platformer sections draw nigh-on 9W, allowing us to spend around 6 hours slashing to our heart's content. These results are, frankly, superb, and when considering that this is alongside both high and stable framerates, it's hard to ask for anything more, technically speaking.
There are two "main" accessibility options: on or off toggles for Screen Flash and Screen Shake. These will surely be welcome additions for those requiring such options, as both effects are used regularly throughout. A third—also used abundantly—is found under the Video settings and relates to whether blood is shown on the screen. Again, it has a toggle on whether it is shown or not.
An astounding display of confidence, design prowess, and utmost admiration is to be effortlessly found throughout every inch, blood-soaked or not, of RetroRealms Arcade. The combination of stellar, singular experiences in each nostalgic cabinet and in revealing the various iconic items in the museum creates an enticing and addictive gameplay loop, only let down by the lack of variety when comparing the game experiences themselves.
I am split on whether it's worth the asking price. At £20.99/$24.99 a pack - £41.99/$49.99 for the Double Feature, I find it a hard sell to all but the most dedicated horror fans based on what the game can offer you regarding unique content. Furthermore, suppose each additional cabinet costs the same, with an optimistic additional 4 in the lobby. In that case, you must question whether the seeming lack of variation besides the icon you play is worth it. With individual characters also available, such as Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell, which are £4.29/$4.99 a piece, you still have to weigh up the near-identical experiences each purchase may bring, nostalgia notwithstanding. The value of such an end product is very much subjective in the hands of the player and, especially for RetroRealms, the importance of such a product to them.
Lastly, technically speaking, there is quite simply nothing to fault here. RetroRealms feels comfortably at home on the Steam Deck, never coming close to exerting itself, and is more than accommodating for prolonged and stable gaming sessions, irrespective of the choice between the primary 2D platformer segment, or the 3D museum segment.
An astounding display of confidence, design prowess, and utmost admiration is to be effortlessly found throughout every inch, blood-soaked or not, of RetroRealms Arcade. The combination of stellar, singular experiences in each nostalgic cabinet and that found in revealing the various iconic items found in the museum creates an enticing and addictive gameplay loop, only let down by the lack of variety when comparing the game experiences themselves.
