When you think of the word sequels, what comes to mind? Hope may come to mind as we hope they maybe as equal to the original if not better. Continuation could be another word as we want to have the story to be continued to be told. Many other words may also come to mind, but has ARVORE done it? Made a sequel of nostalgia that is as much fun to play as it is to experience? Let’s find out with Pixel Ripped 1995 for the PlayStation VR.
Pixel Ripped 1995 is the sequel to Pixel Ripped 1985. A game that brought the nostalgia of the 80’s age of gaming with the power of the handheld, the GEAR KID. Pixel Ripped 1985 allowed us to play a game within a game and it worked extremely well as you controlled the in-game character named Dot as she had to deal with the great evil of the Cyblin Lord as he was trying to destroy Dot’s world.
Fast forward, it seems that there is trouble once again in Dot’s world and you guessed it, Cyblin Lord is back with a vengeance. But this time, Dot needs the help of the best player from 1995 to help you, Dot, in order for you to defeat the evil Cyblin Lord and that player is none other than David Keene, an amazing player for his age and one that some of us, at least, might have more of a connection with than we might think.
One thing that I really loved about Pixel Ripped 1989 is the references to the gaming of that time period and Pixel Ripped 1995 carries that nostalgia and takes it up a notch to new ways that should not be missed and for those that gamed in the ’90s, you are in for a real treat. You will notice that this time around is more of trying to complete the games that you are playing within the games. It brings you back to the times when what you wanted for the holidays was that system and that one game all in hopes that you would not be the one missing out due to the shortage of the holidays.
But its these times that when I was playing and brought me back to how I remembered certain things, you are easily reminded that distractions, like the first, are a big part here. So not only do you have to concentrate on trying to finish the game within the game, but your surroundings can be a distraction as well. It could be trying to play as David who is playing a game when his mother is trying to get you to turn off the game (trying to not wake her up brought back so many memories) to entering a gaming contest at the arcade while trying to pick up your nerf type gun to distract other players and shoot the digital enemies at the same time.
Probably one of my favorite parts is when you are at the game store and playing on the two different systems, the Power System and Turbo Drive (let that sink in just for a second of some classic game references for the 90s decade) and having to switch between the two in order to complete the task. It really is quite awesome how the developer created this.
But it’s not all fun for David not in the least. When I started playing through the game, I started to realize my own childhood unraveling in a way. There was always that kid who would make fun of you thinking he was better than everyone else only when you showed them up would it make them pause only for them to keep trying to get at you. There is the dedication that David goes through of trying to be the best that he can be only to have his mom not truly understand who he is. And it’s not really until the mother almost walks in his son’s shoes, do they both really have this understanding of where each other is coming from to have that true bond and relationship. It hit me more than I was expecting as I never got that bond that I always hoped for with my mom as the understanding was not there. It wasn’t until after she passed that I realized that in fact, maybe she understood more than I thought and maybe that is why I seemed to have more of a freedom in a way.
I applaud ARVORE for adding these elements in and allowing, at least for me, a better understanding of who I was as a child growing up in a tug of war divorced type of home and bringing what was my escape, gaming, of not having to deal with the headache and heartache of a battle and flipping it into an alternate universe type of way that I only wished I could have experienced in my own personal life.
If anything I would love to see is just more Pixel Ripped. My time was over what seemed just as I was getting started. I just hope there will be a continuation of this universe.
Pixel Ripped 1995 is out now on PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift/S on the Oculus Store, and Steam. A review code was provided.
To learn more about the game, please visit the site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, join the Discord, and subscribe to the YouTube channel. To learn more about ARVORE Immersive Experiences, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Instagram.
Also, check out the interviews with Ana Ribeiro of ARVORE from theplaystationbrahs.com and thevrdimension.com.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I think I am going to go revisit the 90’s again.
