Arcade Spirits Looks At The Light-Hearted – And Romantic – Side Of Arcade Management

Relationship simulator-style visual novels with a story narrative seem to be all the rage on PC these days, whether you're getting the most out of Doki Doki Literature Club or trying to find that perfect babysitter with Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator. But what if someone managed to put together a themed game of that nature based around the video arcade business? It appears that someone just has.

A new game called Arcade Spirits is in development, and it promises to introduce a set of lively characters and fun scenarios, based around the romantic visual novel scenario. The official game page breaks down all the characters that are included in the game, including a sharp-dressed gaming accountant, a classy bee-obsessed competitor and more.

The game is being worked on by Fiction Factory Games, with writers Stefan Gagne and Aenne Schumann taking care of the script, and some great art from a number of talented designers, to bring the visual novel side of things to life.

As for the official plot line for the game, it's as follows:

"Arcade Spirits is a visual novel, a narrative roleplaying game in the distant retrofuture year 20XX, in which you occupy the shoes of someone dumped headfirst into the chaotic world of video game arcade management. You'll deal with screaming kids, broken games, local gangs, foul-mouthed eSports competitors and more. But in the process of wrangling the day-to-day craziness, the tangled relationships with your coworkers, and digging gum out of coin slots…you'll be seeking to understand your past and present, building a future and finding romance and love along the way." (And here we thought finding love in an arcade would be silly – there's always room for a player two.)

The game is still in development, and the team has actually gone as far as to put out a casting call for potential musicians to contribute to the game on its Twitter account, thanking those who contributed with the special image below.

The company does have a Patreon for the game, and those who contribute will get early access builds to demos, as well as the full game if they pay $25 or more.

Arcade Spirits definitely looks like a fun project, so if you're into visual novels or just want a different kind of love story, get your quarters prepped!