198X Reviews

198X is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
5 / 10
Jan 28, 2020

A mawkish attempt to glorify the 80s that features some gorgeous visuals and music but offers no real insight into the era's culture or games.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 28, 2019

198X is exciting as a stroll down memory lane, but its simplicity and abbreviated story leave it short on substance

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5 / 10
Jul 12, 2019

198X is a throwback mash-up of five very brief genre excursions with an overwrought story of growing up thrown on top.

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6.8 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2019

It is indeed a great history lesson on the golden age of the arcades, but a short one, with low replayability.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jul 30, 2019

198X is an incredible nostalgia trip for those who grew up playing arcade games and gives younger players the opportunity to experience those games in all their 80s glory.

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8 / 10
Jan 20, 2020

A passionate love letter to a bygone age, 198X celebrates 2D, arcade-based gaming brilliantly and wraps it up in some of the best hand-drawn art we've seen in years.

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85 / 100
Apr 14, 2020

198X does a fantastic job of breathing some life into genres of old, paying homage in a respectable, loving way while achieving an identity all of its own. For me there was no weak link in the gameplay and the storytelling moments kept me engaged and looking forward to the next bit of exposition. Hi-Bit Studios' 198X is a short experience but one I'm glad I've had. Here's hoping for future instalments to build upon this solid foundation.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2019

A fascinating if overly lean meditation on the video game scene of old, 198X is a compressed, weaponised dose of nostalgia that deserves to be experienced by anyone whom professes a love for this greatest of hobbies.

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70 / 100
Jul 24, 2019

Sitting at a playtime of somewhere between one and two hours, 198X gives players a glimpse of the retro-inspired world that the developers have crafted, leaving players wanting more of what they got.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jul 4, 2019

198X is one of the brightest and deepest dedications of the history of arcade games. If you want to know how modern blockbusters started, you will not find the best chance in an interactive form.

Review in Russian | Read full review

5 / 10
Jan 29, 2020

198X is a true love letter to the old arcade genre : through a retro trip of five different mini games, Hi-Bit's celebration only manages to copy and paste tiny bits of classic ones. Thanks to a clich' narration, 198X does nothing but tell how good the past used to be, and how much the present suck. If you still possess the original, there is not much need to play this wanabee experience.

Review in French | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jan 25, 2020

Short as it was, I enjoyed 198X immensely. It does exactly what it sets out to do — provide a nostalgic '80s story with retro-inspired minigames — with an incredible level of polish. With the retro style, the remembered nostalgia, and the actual memories, it was a bittersweet experience from beginning to end. I'll be keeping an eye out for part two, as I want to experience the rest of Kid's story. After all, it reminded me so much of my own story, and those of so many other geeks of a certain age.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2019

A beautifully designed love letter to the heyday of video game arcades, 198X uses its passion for a bygone era to tell a touching story that is also a reminder of just how powerful video games really are.

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Jan 28, 2020

While 198X isn’t going to blow you away with its story, it will make you nostalgic for the arcades of old. The pixelated art style, the impressive soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro that sounds like it was ripped from an episode of Stranger Things, and the incredibly short play time of right around 2 hours was a package that feels deserving of its $9.99 price tag, and even more so if it includes the yet to be dated Part 2. My biggest gripe is that you can’t select to play the 5 games individually from the main menu after rolling the credits.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 27, 2020

While by no means a bad game, 198X is a bit like ordering a pie and finding out it has no filling.

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6.4 / 10.0
Jul 9, 2019

Instead it comes off more like a homage to similar tales.

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Spaziogames
Top Critic
6.4 / 10.0
Jul 3, 2019

The first episode of 198X is an homage to the best and most iconic arcade games of the 80s, but tells a really trivial and generic story.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2020

Understanding the experimental and purposeful design of 198X goes a long way toward appreciating it. Rather than a fun, traditional game experience, it's best viewed as a bold and thought-provoking work that reminds us of a time before wireless controllers and console wars. Back when all you really needed was a quarter and some courage.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 16, 2019

198X feels like it was made specifically for me and my nostalgia. Despite it being very short, I love everything 198X is trying to do and I think it succeeds with excellent results. I can't wait to see what kind of games they will bring in part two.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2019

198X is a title that oozes with love, care and personality and delivers an experience which many of us can relate to its story. But as I said, that's if we look at it as an experience. Because when we look at it as a game, we can see its flaws and lacks which make it hard for many people to justify purchasing and playing it. If you're after a short, unique and quite relatable experience about video games, you'll most likely going to like this game. But if you're only after gameplay or want a comprehensive story, you won't be pleased with 198X

Review in Persian | Read full review