Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers
Release date: May 26, 2022
Developers: Fiction Factory Games
Publishers: PQube
Genres: Adventure, Indie
Categories: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Full controller support, Custom Volume Controls, Keyboard Only Option, Mouse Only Option, Narrated Game Menus, Playable without Timed Input, Save Anytime, Stereo Sound, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

In the distant future year 20XX, an alternate timeline where arcades never went away... you're an aspiring gamer searching for esports glory on the Fist of Discomfort 2 Pro Tour. Seeking a partner to play with, you join a team of players who hang out at Good Clean Fun, a combination pizzeria / laundromat / arcade. It's up to you to rally the team, learning more about who they are and how best to support their dreams along the way. Defeat rivals, conquer tournaments, build relationships, and uncover a strange arcade conspiracy as your team walks the road to victory! With these features you know and love from Arcade Spirits: Six new characters to befriend and romance, as well as a few return appearances by series favorites. Character art by Molly Nemecek and pulsating synthwave tunes by Greg Mirles! Measure your personality using Iris, your handy virtual assistant. You can be Kindly, Steady, Quirky, Gutsy, or Flexibly! Date anyone you like regardless of your pronouns, or focus entirely on building friendships. And NEW features to the series: Import your decisions from Arcade Spirits, and reshape the world of 20XX based on the choices you've made! If you haven't played the original game, that's fine – this works just as well as a standalone experience and will adapt itself to be a great fresh start. A massively expanded character creator – choose body type, hairstyles, accessories, clothing, and more. Your custom character now appears on screen during the whole game! Design your own rival! Using the full power of the character creator, craft the one who will stand in your way. Or will perhaps love bloom between these two enemies...? Take on the world in Fist of Discomfort 2, a strategy minigame. Your victory or defeat changes the path of your story without ending it! (Minigame is skippable.) Rebalanced personality choices, with more variety and more opportunities to talk to every character. Note: If you are a screen reader user, press the V key upon load to activate self-voicing and accessible menu options in the game. You will not need a screen reader to play this game, and may disable it as soon as self-voicing activates. 

Press reviews: “Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is a sublime visual novel, with diverse and lovable characters, some truly touching themes and an engaging plot from start to finish.” 10/10 – God Is a Geek “I adore so much about Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers. I love how choice-heavy it is, and the replayability it provides is phenomenal. It is an entertaining experience for fans of the visual novel genre, with a colorful cast you can’t help but root for and fall in love with.” 82/100 – RPG Fan “Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers does a great job of living up to its predecessor, offering a story and cast of characters almost as engaging and lovable. Whether or not you’ve played the first game, this is a worthwhile visual novel for anyone who loves the arcade scene and wants to get engrossed in a narrative enriched with gaming culture.” GameSpew