Pierhead Arcade review

Reviewed on: PS VR

It’s not that it’s common in Brazil to find arcades on piers along our beaches, but something similar could be found in traveling fairs and, more recently, in shopping malls. But in movies we have certainly seen these arcades located on piers. The game’s proposal is simple and direct: there are fifteen games, of the most varied and fun arcade types, where you can enjoy the machines, even competing on rankings against other players, to win tickets and exchange them for virtual prizes.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a game of this style in VR, but the recreation of the environments and sounds was done with great care, and only the smell of popcorn is missing for us to be transported to one of those arcades.

So, about the gameplay: we can already say that movement happens using the teleport method, and the Move controller is required, since the game is not compatible with the DualShock; which is quite common in this type of game, to have the restriction to Move use. However, teleport movement, despite the justifications of curbing motion sickness (kinetosis), is something that in my opinion harms a little the immersion that is usually present in the proposal of VR. But all you have to do is stand in front of a machine and all the immersion you expect is there, ready to make you remember your days in this type of arcade, and there would be no other way to start the game than to put a token in the machine.

The controls work well in almost all the games and are simple and precise, using two controller buttons at most, making the gameplay, although simple, functional, earning a score of 8.0.

Visually the game fulfills its proposal well, recreating an environment that evokes this type of setting. With bright colors, in a playful space and with games that offer animations that provide honest fun, Pierhead Arcade faithfully reproduces the games, giving the player good immersion, despite the simplicity, earning a score of 8.0.

About the plot there isn’t much to address since the game’s proposal isn’t to tell a narrative, but only to offer the player good fun with games that strongly evoke the 80s/90s, in an environment much more common in the US/UK. We also had contact through traveling fairs and shopping malls, so despite the different settings here in Brazilian lands, the games are familiar in Pierhead Arcade, earning a score of 8.0 on the fun front.

Pierhead Arcade is not the best game within this proposal, but it is honest fun, with good recreations of the arcades, good gameplay, simple and competent graphics, well-recreated sounds and a fair price for the fun it provides, pleasing all audiences.

Final Score 8.0