198X

 PlayStation 4
198X Image
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

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  • Summary: Over-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 inevitableOver-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 local arcade – finding new worlds, and new meaning, in video games…… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. God is a Geek
    Jul 30, 2019
    90
    198X is an incredible nostalgia trip for those who grew up playing arcade games and gives younger players the opportunity to experience those games in all their 80s glory.
  2. PlayStation Universe
    Jul 21, 2019
    80
    A fascinating if overly lean meditation on the video game scene of old, 198X is a compressed, weaponised dose of nostalgia that deserves to be experienced by anyone whom professes a love for this greatest of hobbies.
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Aug 27, 2019
    80
    It also has some excellent riffs on Streets Of Rage, Shinobi III, and R-Type. The pixel art and lo-fi soundtrack are gorgeous throughout, both in-game and out. This bills itself as “part 1” of an episodic experience, but it’s a short, satisfying, and cheap experience on its own. [Issue#166, p.84]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. GameCritics
    Jul 23, 2019
    70
    As a piece of work that encapsulates a specific time, place and mindset, 198X is totally on-target and resonated with me strongly. As a piece of work judged on its own merits, it feels more like a tone poem or a proof-of-concept than a fully-developed experience. The story’s an unfinished sketch, the gameplay is too brief, and I’m not sure the content would make any kind of impression on someone who didn’t grow up in the ‘80s. It’s a hell of a start, but this team has much further to go.
  5. COGconnected
    Jul 24, 2019
    70
    While 198X did not quite live up to expectations set by its undeniably awesome trailer, the game has displayed a dedication to what it set out to do. Though its narrative at times felt more like a method to which to introduce the various levels, it definitely left me wanting to learn more about the world. Similarly, the game’s relatively shallow stages made we wish that they had been more fleshed out. Sitting at a playtime of somewhere between one and two hours, 198X gives players a glimpse of the retro-inspired world that the developers have crafted, leaving players wanting more of what they got.
  6. Video Chums
    Jul 22, 2019
    60
    Although it's fantastic to be able to experience 5 completely different gameplay styles, 198X's campaign is over within an hour or so and all you can do after that is replay its brief chapters again and again. The fact that you can't skip cutscenes is just a kick in the pants.
  7. Gamer.nl
    Aug 9, 2019
    60
    The idea behind 198X is very good, but it does not turn out as great. This is just a mediocre tribute to an era bygone.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. FYM
    Sep 16, 2019
    10
    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,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.… Expand
  2. MahaA
    Feb 6, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What attracted me the most to support this game is the Art. The 16-bit art style is my favorite. I love arcade games and 198x has a plot revolving around arcades which is attractive to me. Then i heard Yuzo Koshiro will make music for the game i got super excited , but i was very disappointed with the ninja levels that have Koshiro’s music in them, the music is great but the gameplay on those levels is very disappointing. It is like a mobile run game. It didn’t give arcade experience like expected. The kid in the game is talking about his arcade experience but he is playing a mobile game. I wish part 2 of the game will give a true arcade adventure experience.… Expand
  4. CWLPodcast
    Jul 31, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 198X A pixel are game that has you going through the life of a seriously emo kid in the 1980’s which would likely be around the time arcades fell apart with the Atari crash, or got really good after Nintendo released the NES and things picked up… except that was in the early 90’s when things like Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight were released and given that the entire thing plays through like a 16bit game, which didn’t also kick in until the 90’s they were a bit off on the naming.

    That aside, the game was short, about an hour and ten minutes, but you play through five “games” in this game, one is a Final Fight beat ‘em up, a racing game ala Out Run, a space bullet hell shooter like Gradius, a Ninja Gaiden clone, and a pre-doom RPG which you control with the stick, but had the nice feature of the “player” typing int “Walk forward” “Turn Right” in the old zork way of thing.

    The games themselves weren’t difficult really, and just long enough to be fun before they got annoying since they don’t have the real depth the full games they copy would. The pixel art though? Amazing. The big sprawling screens when Emo Elliot were amazingly well done and crafted and really worth the price of admission (5$ on sale at Steam at the moment) alone.

    The story… I mean. It’s a thing. The kid has so many sharp edges to his personality he could shave his face by rubbing his hands on it. Something, something, dad died or left, something something, mom struggles… something something, kid is a dick to the only parent he has left and both are in a depression, something something… he finds an arcade with the “Coolest bunch of losers around” Honestly, the narrative was so laced with CW emo writing, it didn’t matter in comparison to the rest of the game.    … Expand
  5. NotContra
    Oct 1, 2019
    7
    Very short game, Not exactly what I was expecting but I liked it while it lasted

    The controls for all of the arcade games feel on point,    Very short game, Not exactly what I was expecting but I liked it while it lasted

    The controls for all of the arcade games feel on point, the music is great, the pixel art is pretty nice for the most part, although the animation in the cut scenes are pretty lazy.

    The story and writing is pretty good but be warned that it end's on a "to be continued" cliff hanger.
    I couldn't help but feel the devs ran out of their KS funds and needed to ship it so they either cut a lot of content or decided to save it for a sequel but at $9.99 it's not a bad price especially if you are a trophy hunter, there are some fairly challenging trophies in this game that will at least give you enough replay value for the price just trying to ace the mini games.

    It feels more like a short story than a fleshed out game. I was kinda hoping for some sort of hub world or something where maybe you walk around in the arcade and get a little more interaction with the world and people in it or something similar, but in 198x all you get are a few cut scenes telling the story of what seems to be a moody teenager and few decent mini games that do their best to subtly expand the story.

    7/10 seems fair. I'll probably check out the sequel whenever/if it comes out just to see where the story goes    … Expand
  6. Melkiades
    Aug 10, 2023
    3
    Una amalgama de minijuegos retro de sólida jugabilidad y atractiva estética ochentera, el problema es que estos minijuegos son demasiadoUna amalgama de minijuegos retro de sólida jugabilidad y atractiva estética ochentera, el problema es que estos minijuegos son demasiado simples y quedan lastrados por una dificultad muy mal medida.… Expand