Developer ARVORE takes gaming heroine Dot even further back in time with Pixel Ripped 1989 than with Pixel Ripped 1995. Here we are in 1978, reliving the glory days of Atari.
The title not only deifies and lampoons Atari projects, it also explicitly mentions Atari, which even publishes the title. The game strikes a good balance between references and original ideas, and it’s really cool to interact with Yar and find them a set of wings so they can seek revenge. While ARVORE stokes the nostalgia of many a gamer, it avoids the traps of nostalgia-baiting by crafting a clever, meta-story about a hard-working developer inside Atari.
In order to reforge a series of energy crystals, your character Dot must chase the Cyblin Lord across different eras and defeat him. Outside of the very memorable boss fights, the level design is homogeneous despite all the visually distinct environments – a traditional RPG land, a disco city, and a graveyard. There are checkpoints and secrets in each area, but the visual variety makes them all distinct. The gunplay doesn’t change from the early game either. Despite unlocking new abilities to interact with the environments more effectively, it is mostly static.
It’s a game-within-a-game conceit that doesn’t get stale. You play a traditional side-scroller on your desk while controlling Dot via Bug, an Atari employee. As you guide Dot through this world, you unlock alternate pathways and abilities that you can use when you get back in control. By doing so, you elevate the overall experience in a way that would not be possible if each component were separate. The game’s great humor also comes through when you’re in your office, answering calls with some genuinely exciting cameos, or discussing Missile Command around the water cooler. Atari’s office offers a glimpse into a particular point in gaming history, and the space is absolutely filled with it.
There’s a lot here to enjoy, even though the gameplay doesn’t develop nearly enough given the game’s runtime.
Pros:
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The Atari way.
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The game-within-a-game stuff is great.
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The best bosses.
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Environments with color.
Cons:
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Level homogeneity.
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Stale gunplay.
This game is 7 over 10.
