Description

An arcade hall full of secrets, a sentient virtual pet in the price cabinet, a stealth shooter roguelite arcade machine and one way to escape: win tickets.

History

Unshine Arcade combines isometric action-roguelite stealth-shooter gameplay with psychological horror. The more tickets you win, the more of the Unshine Arcade’s dark secrets you uncover. The idea of fusing action-roguelite mechanics with first-person psychological horror arose from a frustration with the lack of overarching progression in (action) roguelites. It is primarily inspired by Inscryption, a highly successful title that creates a unique sense of progression and immersion by blending roguelike gameplay with an overarching psychological horror narrative. These are precisely the two genres that fascinate me most. On one hand, relatively simple, stylized arcade experiences with a short yet intense and replayable gameplay loop; on the other, deep worldbuilding and narratives that draw you in and offer a welcome distraction from the emotional complexity of our reality. Sci-fi and visions of the future serve as my greatest inspirations—I often reflect on how technology and the drive for capitalist innovation shape our society. To me, creating plug-and-play arcade games has always seemed at odds with worldbuilding and storytelling. A narrative distracts from the fast-paced, thrilling interaction of an arcade game, while that very speed and those arbitrary rules shatter the immersion of a coherent world and story. Until I had the idea to combine both by literally creating a game in which you play an arcade title inside an arcade hall, wrapped within an overarching sci-fi psychological horror mystery. And thus, Unshine Arcade was born.

Features

• A top-down roguelite stealth-shooter arcade game
• Dungeon-like procedurally generated levels
• An upgrade system based on colored gacha balls you can find throughout the levels
• A mysterious abandoned arcade where you can walk around in first person
• A claw machine!
• A virtual pet in the prize cabinet that wants you to win it free
• An overarching pscyhological horror story