https://arcadewonder.com/ One arcade game at a time: what made it work as a design, and what it meant to the people standing in front of the cabinet. en-us Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 https://arcadewonder.com/review/shinobi/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/shinobi/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Shinobi gave you endless throwing stars, one hit of life, and hostages to reach before the boss. A review of the Sega ninja game and its crowded arcades. https://arcadewonder.com/review/rastan/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/rastan/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Rastan gave you a sword, a jump you could steer, and weapons that never lasted. A review of the Taito barbarian game and the dim arcades it fit so well. https://arcadewonder.com/indie/ninja-issen/ https://arcadewonder.com/indie/ninja-issen/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 A one-person Korean studio built Ninja Issen as a tribute to 8-bit and 16-bit ninja games. We play it as people who fed quarters to the originals. https://arcadewonder.com/review/altered-beast/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/altered-beast/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Altered Beast made you punch your way to three power-ups before it let you become a monster. A review of the Sega brawler and the arcades it grew up in. https://arcadewonder.com/review/ikari-warriors/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/ikari-warriors/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Ikari Warriors let you walk one way and shoot another by twisting the stick itself. A review of the SNK run and gun and the co-op cabinets it filled. https://arcadewonder.com/review/commando/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/commando/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Commando dropped one soldier in a jungle and told him to walk north through an army. A review of the Capcom run and gun that every war game copied. https://arcadewonder.com/review/bad-dudes/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/bad-dudes/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Bad Dudes asked if you were bad enough to rescue the President, then gave you a punch button and a street full of ninjas. A review of the Data East brawler. https://arcadewonder.com/review/donkey-kong/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/donkey-kong/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Donkey Kong gave arcade players a story, a hero who could jump and a building to climb. A review of the Nintendo classic and the American arcades it took over. https://arcadewonder.com/review/defender/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/defender/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Defender asked for five buttons, a joystick and a lot of nerve before it gave anything back. A review of the Williams shooter players still talk about. https://arcadewonder.com/review/centipede/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/centipede/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Centipede turned every shot into a new obstacle and handed it all to a trackball. A review of the Atari shooter and the arcades where everyone played it. https://arcadewonder.com/review/space-invaders/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/space-invaders/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Space Invaders turned every hit into more pressure, and the march got faster the better you played. A review of the Taito shooter that filled American arcades. https://arcadewonder.com/review/missile-command/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/missile-command/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Missile Command asked you to protect cities you knew you would lose. A review of the Atari trackball game and the Cold War arcades it stood in. https://arcadewonder.com/review/asteroids/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/asteroids/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Asteroids made you fight your own momentum before you ever fought a rock. A review of the Atari vector shooter and the arcades that glowed with it. https://arcadewonder.com/review/pac-man/ https://arcadewonder.com/review/pac-man/ Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0900 Pac-Man let beginners stay on the screen, and that is why everybody remembers it. A review of the 1980 Namco maze game and the room it lived in.