Ah, great, another launcher to download, but with a four month Antstream Arcade subscription that allows access on PC and mobile, I'd be an idiot not to download it. Hold on a second. Why do my avatar choices include Zool, Billy (Double Dragon), and a Speedball player? Am I dead? Is this gaming heaven...?
Launching Antstream Arcade was one of the first times in ages that I genuinely wanted to phone in sick to play games in bed. For clarity, I love my job. From the moment the launch screen kicks in with its Netflix approach listing thumbnails of titles, challenges, recommendations, and genres to pick from, it immediately turns back the clock. It didn't take long to spot some Amiga games, with Pinball Dreams being the first to play.
Browsing for a game is like an on-demand service in that you typically will be scrolling through all the options before making a decision. Well, that's a white lie. If I spotted a thumbnail, there was no hesitation in playing it. Venus Fly Trap, Xenon 2, Impossamole, Supercars I & II... the list goes on. Notice the pattern? Amiga games. Next up was the Spectrum, but the lack of Pyjamarama and Green Beret was disappointing. Arcade classics like Ikari Warriors, Splatterhouse and R-Type soon filled that void.
If arcade games aren't typically your thing, you can dive back into nostalgia with some of the best point and click adventures. No longer do you have to source a big box version of a game and *somehow* upload that through a third-party client and hope it works; you can play some of the following immediately:
- Sam & Max
- The Dig
- The Secret of Monkey Island
- The Dig
With 1300+ games, it's clear that this Antstream Arcade review may spiral and be a substantial gushing mess of yesteryear. It doesn't just serve as nostalgia but also preserves gaming history and makes it accessible without any legal boundaries being crossed. Seriously, this is one of the best curations of platforms that haven't involved HyperSpin, RetroPie or a lawsuit from Nintendo.
However, note that Antstream Arcade is a collection of retro titles and not brand-new exclusives. There's a confusing endorphin rush where you relive these games as a kid, yet find that they aren't quite how you remember them. Body Blows, for example, is not a cutting-edge beat 'em up anymore. None of these games bode well with analogue controls or haptic feedback and will typically be four - maybe eight-directional, with only two buttons to mash. I played with a DualSense, though, and it was fine.
Scrolling through pages of games isn't as luxurious as you think, as once it all wears off (it hasn't for me), Antstream Arcade can be mildly long-winded in finding something you feel like playing. Moderation is key, friends. Another key aspect is the technical side. I played this briefly on my mobile, which isn't anything special, and the visuals were as good as any other device. However, a decent internet connection is recommended as a handful of times there sounded like digital interference and graphical glitches on the screen despite having a decent broadband setup. This never spoiled a game, but be careful if you're genuinely living in the past and on a 56K modem.
And, once you're finally accustomed to the vast library, the profile incentives to level up your avatar and complete new challenges soon bring you back in the zone, and while it's hardly standing next to someone at an arcade cabinet shouting over the distant sounds of Operation Thunderbolt or Sega Rally, it's fun to have fellow gamers on the other side of a leaderboard if you're motivated by hi-scores.
There's no excuse: if you want to play retro games and are sick of being priced out by scalpers on eBay, or your better half is selfishly complaining that you're taking up 2/3s of the house with your physical copies of Amstrad greats, put them to one side (the games, but you can choose your partner if you like) and sign up for Antstream Arcade. It is worth pointing out that it appears to be platform-locked, as I tried on the PS5, but you must pay for it separately. Minor research suggests this is down to the storefronts and not Antstream Arcade being fiddly.
Whether you pick your PC, PlayStation or Xbox, I don't think you'll regret it, even if you're familiar with only half a dozen of the 1355 titles. On top of the frequent challenges, online leaderboards and a trickle of new titles on the horizon, this is the definitive retro collection no-brainer: sign up.
