198X does a fantastic job of breathing some life into genres of old, paying homage in a respectable, loving way while achieving an identity all of its own. For me there was no weak link in the gameplay and the storytelling moments kept me engaged and looking forward to the next bit of exposition. Hi-Bit Studios’ 198X is a short experience but one I’m glad I’ve had. Here’s hoping for future instalments to build upon this solid foundation.
For younger players, 198X may not open up in the same way as to us old farts. However, it’s like a museum of a bygone era when the budding digital entertainment was honest and ripe, rendered in a beautiful pixel art and channeled through a marvelous soundscape. Oh, and the ending pays a nice homage to Golden Axe – without the chasing part.
It's perfectly possible to finish 198X in under 2 hours. This is not a particularly long game, but the same could be said about Journey, Portal, Superhot, The Stanley Parable, Dear Esther, Gone Home and countless other short, modern classics. When it comes down to it, it's not the lenght that counts but the experience itself and I can honestly say that this one will stay with me til the day I die. The sprite work is amazing, the soundtrack is absolutely perfect and the melancholic 80s atmosphere is takes me back to my own youth. Do yourself a favour and buy 198X. It's not expensive. It's not lengthy. But it's a ride like none other.
90/100. (Recomendado / Recommended)
Diferentes géneros en un solo juego, rememorando la edad de oro de las recreativas junto a una narrativa, aunque no especialmente novedosa, realista y contemporánea. Un pixel-art genialmente trabajado y animaciones fluidas.
Different genres in a single game, recalling the golden age of arcade games along with a realistic and contemporary narrative, although not particularly new. A brilliantly worked pixel-art and fluid animations.
198X is a good mixture of clones of older games, and the fact that it focuses on a teenager's life and how identity crisis can affect that life really pays off in the end, as this whole concept makes it a unique experience. The developers though seem to lack experience to put the final touches in the right place, and that's the only reason 198X is not as good as other top indie titles of 2019.
198X is a great idea with middling execution. While its games offer some brief enjoyment, there's not enough here for the game to feel like a proper ode to '80s arcades, nor does the Kid's plight, and his longing to escape his current life, totally connect. There's definitely a spark of something here--and Shadowplay, in particular, is a lot of fun--but 198X feels more like a proof of concept than a final product.
198X is aesthetically pleasing. Its bright, accomplished pixel-art and synth-fueled music capture its desired tone perfectly. But if that’s all that 198X is, I’m not sure it’s worth anyone’s time. Even if you are interested in a pretty but empty 80s nostalgia drip, I’d suggest looking elsewhere; there are plenty of options.
This game hits home on so many levels, probably with more power the stronger your connection to the 80s is. If, like me, that's when you lost your video game virginity you're in for a real sweet journey. "Kid" will be your chaperone for the ride, guiding you from one classic 80s genre to the next. All interwoven in a beautifully narrated and illustrated coming of age tale. A bit generic perhaps, but my guess is that the developers want you to substitute Kid's story with your own. Just as you made the games from the 80s, often lacking in terms of plot, your own adventures.
The first part of 198X ends way too soon, but not before leaving impressions that last for a lifetime. The graphics and music simply blew me away, adding infinite replay value. 8 Bit Studios have truly worked wonders with the 60K at their disposal (not 600K as falsely stated in a review below; the total pledged on Kickstarter is in Swedish currency). I do hope though that in the second part we'll be able to play more of each mini game, as they end as soon as you've gotten a feel for them. Perhaps Kid will eventually be able to roam freely around the arcade and we can set our own high scores.
But for the first part, pour **** of wine, wait until the twilight hours and let Kid lead you through a night that blurs the lines between dream, game and reality.
A better idea then execution. Great aesthetics and graphics, but the different levels and action is just not up to par. None of the bite sized games within are really that interesting or fun to play. It's super short as well coming in just at about an hour.
Yes its another Kickstarter scam. The devs raised over 600k of free money based on their lofty promises and excellent video but what we get is so much less. I wanted to say more but there is virtually nothing here at this time.
I’m a ready player one fan and had hoped this game would take a well written story and integrate it into video game. I loved a night in the woods and hoped that the story elements would be like that. Or life is strange or monkey island. But what we get is some boring but pretty cutscenes representing a poorly written generic character.
The lazily titled the kid (robert redford fan?) Is moody and has some family issues...maybe or something equally vauge and high school is tough and blah. Its really pathetic that they couldn’t come up with more or ask an adult of the 80s what it was like or at worse watch stranger things haha Moody kid finds an arcade and wow he can escape into 80 genre **** end.
At this point the weak story could be saved but instead we get 4-5 (1 is a clone) fun but like the story and character, simple short games with little depth and little replay (but you cant replay so meh). One or two levels and none of the games finish.
And then the game an hour to two hours **** over. That’s all you get. And you pay for this short game which costs the devs nothing to make. And they got to make their dream. But their dream is short and simple and pathetically childish and naive (though beautiful).
The latter be fine if it was made by a child but its made by adults who are meant to take their experience and fuze it with childhood memories and adult research to get a professional product. They havent done that at this time.
At this time because they forgot to tell everyone that the game is episodic which means this is intentionally a small part of a larger game. But those who paid for a full game will have to keep paying. It might have well been an epic store pc exclusive to really kill it’s chances.
If we imagine that this tiny simple game cost 600k then the other 3 or 4 parts to give it a decent run time , will bring the total budget of free money to 2.5 million for what will still be a short simple indie game. I cant imagine this will happen so instead we'll get 1 or 2 rushed short chapters which flesh out the games but add little to the barebones story.
It’s a scam as the devs choose to be sneaky and dishonest and greedy. If they has explained the episodic nature or made all additional chapters free etc then players be happy. Better still finish the game first and then make sequels.
I’m not a game dev but it doesn’t cost 600k over a few years for a few people to make a 2 hour game with 1 hour of gameplay. I feel they made the full game and gutted it for cash. Or worse this is what we get because they all took huge salaries. I’ve seen their social media posts and they’re snarky and unapologetic and will fully ignorant with few specifics and yet more **** you give them more money. Real poke in the eye for backers. This type of bs hurts Kickstarter too.
It’s a really bad first impression and a bad business model with the history of episodic being in the gutter now.
To fix this mess they need to release 4 more chapters with 45 mins of game play and 15 mins of cutscenes with a story with direction and actual relatable characters. The real world needs to seep into the games much more and each game needs to represent another part of the kids journey. The cutscenes need to be a point and click adventure or have some interaction and choices as the series progresses like late 80s games.
These chapters need to be free for purchase one and or 5 each etc. And there needs to be a guarantee they willbe made or refund. This is how you make a hit game and a beloved studio and get money for sequels.
What’s good about the game? Most of it actually but that’s irrelevant if it’s mis sold and too short and too expensive. Graphics art 8bit retro but beautifully drawn. The animation is basic but effective. The sound and music is spot on for 80s and really immersive. The game play is simple but fun. The lasting time ...virtually **** hour of gameplay. And it's not quality over quantity as its only average.
Value...just a mess due to the way it was funded and mis sold etc.
Should you buy it? Yes if you have money as I’d like to see what the devs do with this. Should you be mad if you funded it? 100% as the devs have not delivered a full game. Should you avoid the game if I’m broke? Yes because it has little in it original or stand out that you need to play. Wait until the entire game is out ..If it ever comes out.
Overall a 4 for the 4 games (1 was a clone).
I really wanted to like this game, but it would not reciprocate my feelings. The story is laughably short, you only play each "game" once, and one is just a reskin of an earlier game. There are two shoot em ups, one Final Fight clone, a racer, and a "maze" game. The "maze" has one path to each boss and one tiny loop. It takes longer because you have to die and grind to level up so you can fight [strike] your virtual dad [/strike] errr the boss.
The actual gameplay is less than 30 minutes but they make you listen to the Kid exposition for another 30ish minutes to extend the playtime.
The story that has no real link to anything you are playing other than "I was sad about family thing so I went to the arcade." That is it. The whole story. I would say I saved you from 30 minutes of exposition, but the cut-scenes are unskippable. Oh but do not worry the game ends on a cliffhanger so you can buy the next episode of this game. The only positive of the story is the voice actress does a great job with the lines they gave her.
In Summary: Save your money unless this game drops sub $2 usd. There are plenty of games on Steam that give you more content for less money in each genre this game covers. Oh did I forget to mention this is the price they charged after a KICKSTARTER for this game paid for development? Pass on this nostalgia grab and get something else.
SummaryOver-the-top arcade action meets coming-of-age drama, blurring the lines between game and reality...Welcome to Suburbia, just outside the City, sometime in 198X. This is the journey of Kid, a teenager stuck between the limitations of innocent youth and the obligations of inevitable adulthood. The story unfolds when Kid discovers the loca...