198x
Review

198X (2020) is a pastiche of different classic games brought together to tell the story of a suburban teenager stuck between the limitations of youth and the obligations of adulthood. In the game, you discover a local arcade, and through the different games find a way to make that transition to an adult world and coming to terms with your history.

"This is not just a video game, this is the story of my life," says the narrator. What's interesting is that the games reflect the mood of the wider narrative. Each one marks a turn or deepening of some aspect of the story. This may sound heavy-handed or juvenile, but the reality is that these games work well to underline the emotion of your character.

If you played games in the '80s this is a great way to revisit some of those moments. If you've not played these games before this is a novel way to discover them, along with a window into the burgeoning importance of this new media.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked 198x 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 9 months ago.