Each trait is marked with a symbol such as a heart, scales, or explosion.Īlso similar to the first Arcade Spirits, some important choices only let the player select from one or two options that align most closely to how they’ve acted up until that point. These include being kind and caring, balanced and thoughtful, boisterous and lively, and more. Sometimes the player is given conversation options that coincide with personality traits. Once into the game, TNC’s characters appear on-screen with a static background and text below narrates the action and dialogue. TNC even let me do the same to create a rival who appeared throughout the story. I would have still liked a few more choices in clothing and body types, but it was still a range of options that I appreciated. The options even extended into a somewhat extensive list of pronouns - even neo pronouns - that I wasn’t expecting. When starting, I was pleased to find that one of my previous complaints had been addressed - this time there were a wider variety of body types, clothing, and color options to customize the player character. The core gameplay largely remains the same as the original and adheres to a traditional visual novel style.
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Along the way they’ll be forced to make choices about how they direct their team, choosing sponsors, how to handle cheating and revenge - and of course since this is still a dating sim, they’ll choose which characters to spend more time with and grow closer to. TNC‘s new protagonist is an esports gamer looking to make a name for themselves. Although it might add more to the experience, one does not need to have played the original to enjoy this indirect sequel. Like the first game, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers (I’ll use TNC for short) is a visual novel dating sim.
Very few games have as much positive representation of queer folks and gamer culture as Arcade Spirits, so when its sequel came across my radar, I was excited to see where they would take it. A variety of body types, genders, sexualities, and representation.
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Queer Nerd Gamer Dating Self Actualization Simulator