RetroRealms Arcade review

RetroRealms Arcade delivers nostalgic action-platforming bundled in a novel way. The free download provides access to the game’s main hub. Beyond a simulated arcade with space for six different virtual coin-ops, the museum dedicates several rooms to digital collectables. Inside, you’ll get to look at Michael Myer’s mask, Ash Williams’s 1973 Oldsmobile, or hear how WayForward’s sound team adapted John Carpenter’s iconic score. Oddly, the exterior of the museum looks like an old Pizza Hut.

Like many restaurant chains, there’s no use in visiting if you’re broke. Disappointingly, the RetroRealms gallery will remain fairly empty until you unlock exhibits by playing through the two different DLC offerings. At present, Ash vs Evil Dead and Halloween are available at $24.99 apiece, each offering ten stages of retro action with licensed characters. But given the steep price and the lack of innovation, RetroRealms seems committed to scaring away audiences.

Obedient to Theme, like a Slasher Film

Undoubtedly, both Ash vs Evil Dead and Halloween draw inspiration from the 8- and 16-bit eras. Whether you select the chainsaw-armed Mr. Williams or knife-carrying Mr. Myers, you’ll be navigating through horizontally scrolling environments and cleaving through a continual cavalcade of enemies. Expectedly, the level of challenge gradually escalates, with RetroRealms layering on projectile-tossing foes and floating adversaries who move in sine-wave patterns. And while the kickback isn’t as powerful as Castlevania, contact with some enemies can knock you off a moving platform, just like in the ‘80s.

One of RetroRealms’ gimmicks is that you can take characters into other worlds, potentially introducing Ash into suburban Haddonfield or taking additional DLC characters like Laurie Strode and Kelly Maxwell to the Knowby Cabin. And while there’s a bit of distinction with Laurie able to double-jump, using knitting needles for melee attacks, and having access to unique ranged weapons, the different characters don’t fundamentally change things up.

Yes, the sprite-work and skeletal plotline adjusts so that Halloween’s Final Girl isn’t a homicidal killer. But the lack of any substantial stage variation means revisiting the same stage can feel like a chore. Outside of the boss battles, neither Ash vs Evil Dead nor Halloween are particularly difficult. Find a character with charged projectiles and you’ll be able to cheese your way through the bulk of it.

Fun References, But a Lack of Cross-Game Growth

That said, there’s plenty of references that might delight horror aficionados. I appreciated the etherical-looking patients wandering behind the chain link fences at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium or the groves of demonic trees that sprouted from Sam Raimi’s twisted imagination. It’s obvious that WayForword scoured the source material, and that devotion shows up in the game’s artwork.

Certainly, platforming fans might welcome the number of collectables strewn across each stage. And here, RetroRealms Arcade offers a morsel of distinction with an ability to shift into the Nightmare Realm. A button push temporarily brings up an alternative version of the environment, habitually opening a route that allows players to gather score-boosting pumpkin icons or tickets that can unlock items back at the museum.

You’ll also amass a bit of currency through the five different areas. At the completion of each zone, you’ll get the option to upgrade your character. But don’t expect your enhancements to stick. Your augmented Ash will have to start the process all over again if he travels to Haddonfield.

I relish pulpy horror nearly as much as appreciate a good platformer. And while it’s initially rousing to go on a stabfest with Michael Myers or cleave through deadites with Ash’s chainsaw, RetroRealms Arcade feels more like direct-to-video fodder than glorious grindhouse cinema. Sure, the concept of a digital museum is cool but the games that subsidize the gallery lean toward mediocrity. Both Ash vs Evil Dead and Halloween manage to grow tedious before the end of their pithy, 90-minute murder spree. The idea of someone paying fifty dollars for RetroRealms Arcade is frightening.

RetroRealms Arcade was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.