I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that has made me put on a load of washing, yet here we are. Arcade Paradise is a simulation game set in a laundromat during the 90s which gives you ownership of the family business. It’s a real rags to riches game where you’ll be growing the business from day one, learning the tricks of the laundry trade. All the while, there’s an arcade in the backroom that’s begging for some TLC. Go on, give the trailer a spin!

Arcade Paradise is a management simulator from the folks at Nosebleed Interactive. It follows Ashley, who’s been given the keys to the family business while their dad, Gerald, has gone to Riviera. Get it? It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on simulators that’s surprisingly easy to pick up. You begin by getting acquainted with the business; there’s trash to pick up, loads of laundry to wash and dry, and a gross toilet to unblock. And that’s all before you discover the arcade machines hiding in the back room! Players have full control to do as they wish, with the goal being to make money. In between the various jobs, you can check out the arcade machines in the back room, which provide an awesome distraction, most of which are even multiplayer. Despite being warned by your dad to not divert from the current focus on laundry, Ashley is drawn to the neon paradise, and as such this becomes the plot of the game.

From the get-go, Arcade Paradise is a rinse and repeat game. Early on, many days feel repetitive, which is helped by the underlying story in the game to some degree. The gameplay, while straightforward, is pretty much the same every day. It does feel as though the game is deliberately pushing you to give up on the steady income of the laundromat to pursue more fun horizons. Upgrades feel achievable but it’s sad that eventually the washing machine side of the business is meant to be forgotten about in favour of the arcade hustle. I doubt anyone can begrudge this focus too much, as the game does include 35+ individual arcade machines with their own games. If anything, the beginning of the game is about balancing the playing of arcade games against taking out the trash and making money for the business to continue to thrive until the arcade can pay for itself.

Packing in 35+ arcade games is no easy chore. I was astonished at how much thought and detail has gone into most of the games. Each feels true to the time the games are set and actually makes me nostalgic for a time when I wasn’t even alive. These days, arcades do still thrive, but there’s something so simplistic about the way the arcade feels in this game. I’d liken it to that same nostalgia Stranger Things evokes. My favourite arcade games present are Video Air Hockey, Shuttlecocks, Bugai!, and Strike Gold as each felt like the type of games I’d go for in a vintage arcade.

Where this game shines is on the management side. Weaving the story of a college dropout into what could be a relatable boring job, Arcade Paradise is an escape from the rigours of the nine to five in favour of creating something new and shiny. The arcade feels so secret at the beginning of the game. With so few machines, it even feels like you’ve stumbled down the rabbit hole for sure. Soon, the arcade becomes the shiny bright neon focus as you buy more machines and expand the space, though it’s still presented as a side hustle with the laundromat.

My time with Arcade Paradise has made me hungry to explore arcades in real life, more so than laundromats. This game will likely satisfy you if you’re into simulators that don’t get bogged down in all the realism, but you also might find the game logic a bit off-centre. Arcade games are a lovely touch though and will see players fighting for more time on the machines. Come for the management sim aspects and you’ll be wishing you could open your own arcade for sure!