You love classic arcade machines and also have a soft spot for rhythm games? Then the arcade halls in Tokyo might be for you. That’s what MeinMMO author Max Handwerk thought too – but felt a bit overwhelmed.
When I was young, my family often traveled to Italy. Those summers were filled with beach visits, ice cream, pizza, and an arcade hall that was near our apartment. Now and then, my brother and I were allowed to go there in the evenings to throw some tokens into machines featuring classics like Tekken, Metal Slug, Spider-Man, or Street Fighter.
I loved those machines back then, and I still love them today – even though you can hardly find them anywhere anymore.
I was accordingly excited when I was in Tokyo in the summer and realized: My goodness – there are a lot of arcade halls here. And these halls were just packed.
The term “arcade hall” hardly does these structures justice. Spread over several floors, Tokyo’s arcades are filled with machine after machine. Downstairs, there are usually typical claw machines that drain your money by enticing you with anime plush toys that you’ll never get out of the machine anyway.
I wasn’t aware that this was such a big deal in Tokyo. But curiosity was piqued, and my group set out to explore the floors full of gaming machines.
Excitement and Overwhelm
On the other floors – things really got exciting. Because there are a whole bunch of different games inviting you to play. And the production apparently hasn’t stopped in any way, because while the machines from my childhood offered rather pixelated graphics and clunky controls, there are games that can basically compete with PS5 graphics.
Particularly, I remember a kind of battle royale fantasy game that looked really cool – only what we had to do here wasn’t exactly clear. Thema language barrier.
And this feeling crept in more and more from game to game. What started as pure excitement quickly gave way to a certain overwhelm. I soon realized: you almost need an acclimatization training here. Because the halls are not only full, they are especially loud. And not just a little.
The most intense moment came when we reached a level completely dedicated to rhythm games. I actually love those: I used to play Guitar Hero endlessly. But in the hall, we didn’t even come close to using a guitar controller.
Bright, clattering anime rhythm games were the order of the day, with control units that I honestly only partially understood, let alone mastered. The hall added to the confusion: it clacked and blinked at every corner.
The other visitors in the hall, however, seemed hardly impressed: with a speed and concentration that left me in awe, mainly teenagers flew through the songs at the machines, while we ruined the simplest songs on the lowest level.
It was a unique experience. Every single game was really exciting to watch. The problem was more the sheer mass of machines standing edge to edge – all with loud sound. Just visiting the hall made the pulse race. So much so that after about 10 minutes we went outside and joked: Now we need a month of peace. But that wasn’t too far from reality either.
Nevertheless: it was an exciting insight into an area of gaming that is hardly prevalent in Germany – at least in my experience. Sure, you can still find the occasional Pacman machine in bars and similar places, but real arcade halls have become rare.
What do you think of arcade halls? Do you associate anything with them, or are they just a relic of the past for you? Tell us in the comments!
And do you want a really comprehensive look into the topic of arcade halls and gaming? Then check out the report by MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus, who has taken a close look at the topic “Arcade, Gaming, and Japan.”
