Akka Arrh Reviews
When it comes down to it, Akka Arrh is a fun arcade game but probably an acquired taste. If you think back to the old days when you walked through the arcade, you could watch the game’s demo before you decided to slip a coin in. If I go by this logic, I would slide in a few coins and play Akka Arrh. But I’m unsure I would return to it once I had my fill. If you love your retro or looking for a quick arcade fix, I absolutely recommend Akka Arrh, and if this leads to more relics from the past getting tuned up and re-released today, then I’m all for that.
Make no mistake, this reimagining is easily the definitive take on Akka Arrh, especially if you compare this modern entry to the original in Atari 50 and see just how much Minter was able to evolve the concept test marketed all those decades ago, and finally realizing it in an addictive fashion that modernizes the game a while also adding great scorechasing elements, just like he did with Tempest before.
There are times when I really did start to feel like I was getting Akka Arrh, that I was so close to slipping into that state of bliss the best arcade games can provide. Inevitably though, some new mechanic would show up and knock me right out of it. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun with Akka Arrh, it’s an incredibly interesting game worth a look from fans of classic arcade games and fans of Jeff Minter, but the same issues that kept that original prototype from the 80s from seeing the light of day are still present and stop it from being a must-play.
If you’re a fan of a bit of craziness mixed with tripped out and colorful colors, and can live with sketchy gameplay, it may work for you
To be sure, Akka Arrh is a niche game: to enjoy it, you not only need to enjoy old school arcade shooters, you also need to enjoy Llamasoft's specific brand of psychedelic weirdness on top of that, as well as the weird idiosyncrasies in the game design. But if all of that appeals to you, then the good news is that Akka Arrh exists, and it's pretty fun.
Akka Arrh is a relic from a lost time, making itself quite at home with a modern player through overwhelming visuals and a gameplay loop that seeps into your gray matter.
The game has been out for other platforms for a while, but gets a PSVR2 option for the Playstation 5 version and this makes a bigger difference than you might originally think. While the 2D version is a lot more difficult to understand and keep an overview, the PSVR2 option makes the game a lot clearer. You are in the middle of your tower and with the two layers you have a lot of depth in the different levels. It doesn't happen often, but this is a game that is really much better in VR. This is a game for Atari and Minter fans and players who are interested in the history of this game. It's great to discover old prototypes and make them accessible to many people. You will quickly notice why this game remained a prototype and did not reach the arcades in the eighties.
Review in Dutch | Read full review