Vive Report

Pierhead Arcade officially left early access on September 21, 2016. Here are the most relevant updates since our review was initially published.

New Games:

Arctic Shuffle – a sliding game using penguin-embossed pucks

The objective is to slide the penguins down the iceberg with a score meter that goes low to high as the penguins go farther. Be careful not to push too hard, because the penguins will fall off and you won’t get any points if they do!

Comet Drop – bouncy balls (comets) drop from a barrel, onto a rotating board with holes

The board rotates slowly and there is a button you push that will drop a ball onto the board. If you time it right, you can get 4 of your 5 balls in the 4 yellow holes, which have the highest reward. If you get four balls into the 4 yellow holes, you get bonus balls and the game carries on. There’s also a multi-ball hole and a couple other modifier holes. This is a game about precise timing.

Honey Rush

A nerve-wracking beehive inspired game using joysticks that you grasp by holding the trigger on the controller when your hand is over them. Control either side of a long pole which moves from bottom to top, and guide a ball up the maze to enter the target honeycomb. There are a bunch of non-targets to trick you along the way.The faster you get the ball in the target hole, the higher the score multiplier you get!

A nifty Prize Corner has also been added so you can show off your winnings. As for gameplay, the devs have added render scale options which goes from 50% to 200%. Along with a specific graphic setting for in game assets quality, like game logos. Careful though as upping the image quality could decrease performance.

Pierhead Arcade has improved quite a bit since its early access release, and we still feel the same excitement when playing it. We still haven’t tried multiplayer, though, but it seems to be the next big thing to try. Congratulations to Mechabit for such a tight and highly-recommended Virtual Arcade title!

Check it out on Steam for $9.99!

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“Imagine how much we’re saving in quarters?!” my husband quipped after his first try at Pierhead Arcade. Admittedly, we are (or were) arcade rats so we’re constantly on the lookout for the best ones on the VR market. One glance at this game and we knew we were going to love it.

Mechabit’s Pierhead Arcade is currently available as an early access game on Steam, so expect a lot of changes before the final game launch. As the name suggests, it’s a virtual re-creation – an homage of sorts – to old boardwalk or seaside amusement arcades. The mini-machines are housed inside a well-lit virtual building with high ceilings where you teleport from one to the other by pressing the scroll pad. The design elements of the overall space are thoughtfully created and consistent with the old Americana feel.

Just like in any arcade, you win tickets for your points. There’s also a gift shop where you can purchase prizes with these tickets.

We’ve had the game since early July, and back then the game started at the interior of the arcade hall. Now, it starts outside by the pier area, which is a nice scenic change. More recently, the game’s UI was updated from rudimentary floating text boxes to nifty menus that go with the theme. A jukebox has been added to house radio customization, which used to be part of the start menu.

I made a complete list of games with short descriptions because I couldn’t find any online.

Pier Arcade Mini-Games:

Super Punch: boxing game with 3 pads on each side and increasingly difficult rounds
Binary Dash: a concave board designed like a circuit board in which you hit mounds as they light up randomly
Rocket Ball: Skee ball simulation, ’nuff said
The Gallery: pistol shooting with moving targets
Super Shoot: basketball hoop shooting
Cannonball Bounce: tossing game, in which you have to bounce tiny balls through a mouse-hole sized entrance to land into one of 9 small (connected) boxes
Dino Whack: very similar to Whack-a-Mole, instead you hit dinos and avoid hitting the cave boy
Rapid Fire: throw medium-sized balls into 9 holes on an upright board
Scarab Toss: toss balls into holes in a variety of sizes (corresponding points) and into a vase at the far end for the most points
Toy Grab: your classic claw crane
Bowling Alley: ummm, bowling?

I visit Pierhead Arcade on the daily. So far, my personal favorites are The Gallery and Binary Dash. The bowling alley is the latest addition, which you can find behind Super Shoot. I find this placement a little too inconspicuous myself. Another minor gripe I have is the keyboard is alphabetically arranged and not in QWERTY. I also find that occasionally, the shooting game pistol jumps off into oblivion, even without pressing release. I can’t tell if it’s a bug or if something triggers it. Again, this is a work in progress, so we’ll keep tabs on the updates.

With everything considered, it’s well worth the price tag. Get it here.

-shurl