Supposedly there are two types of people in the world: those who play video games and those who don’t. At Fantastic Arcade that latter group is better defined as those who haven’t found the right game yet. The annual event – that broke away from its sibling Fantastic Fest this year – celebrates all things weird, niche, and avant-garde again with more than 40 games that cater to all shades of art lovers.
Tickets for the talks and tournaments are sold out, but the free-to-play games will be available to the public in the Barrel O’ Fun lounge all weekend. Do you want to take control of a webbed-foot troublemaker? Try Untitled Goose Game. Want to prevent a gunshot aimed toward the heart of creation? Genesis Noir is for you. Perhaps consoling loved ones while keeping a funeral home solvent is more your speed. A Mortician’s Tale will be a good fit. And Disco Bear is pretty much what it sounds like. Other characters include a clumsy robot, a meticulous warehouse steward, a man stuck in a cauldron, and many more.
In addition to all those are six games commissioned specifically for the festival and retrofitted into custom arcade cabinets. We asked a handful of these spotlight developers to describe their creations.
Fernando Ramallo: “It involves a character named Mario that jumps around and also the American health care system.”
Conor McCann: “The art style is fairly minimal with a Bauhaus influence. … Basically you just need to get from A to B, but your player is constantly going in a circle to the right.”
Kyle Reimergartin: “My game is an extrusion of my favorite words and numbers. Some of them are 2, 8, 360, everlastic, 18, 36, captured beast, 3:37, blood, captured beast, X247, shareware. I tried to create space for a gradient of similar moods.”
That’s just a smattering of the strangeness headed to town, so if none of the aforementioned works strike a chord in your heart and mind, there’s still hope. Come out and find a game that fits your unique brand of weirdness.
Fantastic Arcade Opening Night Party
Thu., Nov. 16, 8pm, Scratchouse (617 E. Seventh)Featuring Sleep∞Over, DJs KidKO and Fitnez, and games from Bar SK, Australia.
Fantastic Arcade
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 17-19, Alamo Mueller (1911 Aldrich #120)See fantasticarcade.com for schedule and more information.
Starcade & Fantastic Arcade Awards
Sun., Nov. 19, 5pm, Barrel O’ Fun (1911 Aldrich Ste. 120-B)This article appears in November 17 • 2017.
