The most interesting arcade games released in 2016
All the best and most popular games of the year, upcoming releases, and hits from the past. Use filters to narrow down search.
Venture Kid
Arcade
January 13, 2016
A 2D platformer game developed by FDG Entertainment, inspired by the classics of the 8-bit era. The story of Venture Kid revolves around a crazy scientist called Teklov who wishes to take over the control of our planet by means of a grand space fortress. A small boy by the name of Andy, who tries to thwart Teklov’s evil plans, turns out to be humanity’s last hope. The gameplay mechanics are clearly inspired by the classics of the genre, and the fun boils down to traversing subsequent half-open levels that are densely filled with various kinds of traps and secrets. We also have to face all sorts of enemies and bosses using a large arsenal of weapons. As we progress, we gradually unlock enhancements for the protagonist. The game offers a retro visual style and a soundtrack composed by Matt Creamer.
Smurfs Epic Run
Arcade
January 13, 2016
A licensed two-dimensional platformer for mobile devices, created by Ubisoft. When Gargamel casts a spell that covers the Smurfs' village with a magical fog, only one of its inhabitants manages to escape. Controlled by the player, he has to stop Gargamel and rescue his captured friends. In terms of mechanics, the game is an auto-runner variation of a platform game - the protagonist goes forward automatically, and the player has to perform the appropriate gestures responsible for jumps, slides or sprinting, for example. The game includes roughly a hundred different levels where the player releases subsequent Smurfs, unlocking numerous abilities and additional playable characters, such as Papa Smurf or Smurfette. The player can customize the appearances of their characters and compete against others in online rankings.
Super Button Soccer
Arcade
January 15, 2016
A simple arcade soccer game with card elements, inspired by coin football and other such activities. The gameplay in Super Button Soccer focuses on short, dynamic duels with the AI or other players. Each player controls a team consisting of four eponymous buttons, and their task is to hit the ball with them so that it ends up in the opponent's goal. As the game progresses, you gather special cards, which modify such elements as team positions, initial formation, stadiums, ball types, and team logos and outfits. The matches are played both on realistic stadiums and more unusual settings, such as a skating rink or a kitchen table. Your team's makeup, ball type, surroundings and other elements affect the physics and dynamics of the gameplay, calling for different tactics. Super Button Soccer features a single player mode, although the game was designed mostly with multiplayer in mind.
A Boy and His Blob
Arcade
January 19, 2016
A re-imagining of a 2D platform puzzle game for Wii and NDS, which is a remake of a classic hit originally published in 1989 for Famicom (NES). The game tells the story of a boy and his bizarre, jelly-like fella called Blobert. He needs to find a way to save his planet Blobolonia from an evil emperor, who imposes an unusual diet on his people - composed entirely of sweets. The two heroes set out on a dangerous journey with the purpose of finding the objects necessary to defeat the emperor while his minions try to stop them. The key to success in this classic platformer is to use Blobert’s special abilities, which can be developed by feeding him with a variety of colorful jellybeans. Compared to the original version from 1989, the re-imagining features completely new visuals and slightly changed mechanics – the range of moves and abilities of the hero is much bigger.
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human
Arcade
January 19, 2016
Metroidvania in which the task of the players is to solve the mystery of the extinction of the Earth's population, which thousands of years ago was forced to move under water. A characteristic feature of The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is the dualism of the game - the work of YCJY studio is based on both peaceful exploration and a dynamic fight against powerful adversaries.
Sky Chasers
Arcade
January 20, 2016
A two-dimensional arcade game from Lucky Kat, in which we pilot a flying machine made of a cardboard box. The game takes place in a fantastic worlds whose inhabitants travel with technologically advanced vehicles. That doesn’t apply to our hero though, as he starts his journey in a cardboard box with rocket engines attached to it and has to collect and install further enhancements for his machine. To achieve this, the protagonist has to explore locations while avoiding traps, fighting enemies, and collecting gold coins scattered throughout the game’s world. Gameplay is very simplified and comes down to tapping either left or right side of the screen, activating one of two engines of our flying vehicle. The game features a pleasant pixel-art visual style, and large number of highly diversified locations.
Lost in Harmony: Kaito's Adventure
Arcade
January 21, 2016
An unusual, rare combination of an autorunner with a narrative rhythmical game, developed by Digixart Entertainment studio led by Yoan Fanise, former Ubisoft employee and the creator of Valiant Hearts. The story of Lost in Harmony: Kaito’s Adventure is set in an unknown futuristic world, across which the protagonist – young boy named Kaito – rides on his skateboard, carrying his friend, Aya, on his back. Each chapter represents one of the hero's phobias, such as fear of water, heights, or crowds. Kaito’s skateboard moves automatically, and the player has to avoid various obstacles by turning right, left, or jumping in right moments. However, all of this is directly connected to the background music, which not only affects the gameplay, but is also used for storytelling and expressing character’s emotions.
Move or Die
Arcade
January 21, 2016
A four-player party game that will ruin any friendship. During the challenges changed every several seconds, what counts is a quick eye, good coordination and precision of jumping on the platforms. There can only be one winner, and the title conceals the basic principle of survival - move or perish.
LEGO Marvel's Avengers
Arcade
January 26, 2016
Another installment in a bestselling action-adventure game series based on the license of the LEGO bricks. This title is a result of cooperation between the developers from Traveller’s Tales and the Marvel company. Once again, players visit the amazing world of comic superheroes. The story is based on the Avengers film (2012) and its sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Therefore, you can play as one of the numerous Marvel characters known from both the graphic novels and films, including Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Loki, and Hawkeye. In terms of gameplay, Lego Marvel’s Avengers is not much different from other games in the series, such as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. Gameplay is presented in third-person perspective and it boils down to exploration, solving puzzles, gathering collectibles, and fighting with opponents.
Rabi-Ribi
Arcade
January 28, 2016
A two-dimensional platform game heavily inspired by the metroidvania genre. In Rabi-Ribi the player assumes the role of Erina – a bunny turned into a woman due to a curse. The female protagonist is accompanied by Ribbon, a winged pink-haired fairy. The tale about how the main characters are trying to break the spell is presented mostly by visual-novel-style dialogues. The gameplay of Rabi-Ribi is focused on exploration of various areas, character progression and fighting the enemies. In addition to the regular enemies, the player will encounter bosses, defeating which requires finding a good tactic, focus and good reflex. The boss fights take the form of a bullet hell shooter, forcing the player to avoid numerous missiles and laser beams coming in his way. During the game the protagonist gains new abilities and pieces of equipment thanks to which she can be more effective in combat and gain access to previously unavailable locations. The action is shown from the side perspective like in classic, two-dimensional platform games. The graphics employ manga-style visuals.
Lost Journey
Arcade
January 28, 2016
Lost Journey is a mobile platform game. We play as Jennifer, a young girl who tries to find true happiness and the road to heaven by finding and collecting pieces of happy memories. She is accompanied by an angel who took the form of a beautiful butterfly. The game is presented from a side-scrolling perspective. In it, we explore oneiric locations filled with traps and obstacles. Jennifer will have to not only face many dangers, but also solve various puzzles. They are based on gravity, time, and space manipulation. For example, one of them will require us to mirror the entire scene to unlock a passage, while others will only make us move one of the elements of the environment. Lost Journey has unique, 2D visuals that look as if it they were created using watercolor. The game also features a soothing ambient soundtrack.
AIPD
Arcade
January 29, 2016
Created by Blazing Badger, AIPD is a co-op top-down twin-stick shooter resembling the classic arcade hits from the 80s. In the game you control futuristic police ships. Within limited time you have to destroy as many increasingly stronger enemies as you can. You can modify your ship between the missions, adjusting not only its appearance, but also parameters such as agility, firepower, or shields. The game's numerous challenges and game modes are generated randomly and, due to the loads of possible combinations of enemies and world variations, each level is unique. The visuals of AIPD make use of the contrast between black background and the vivid, flashy colors, employing an entire palette of modern visual effects.
Defunct
Arcade
January 29, 2016
Arcade game with adventure elements, in which we take control over a robot moving on one wheel. The protagonist tries to return on board a cargo ship, from where he fell and found himself on the surface of the Earth inhabited by similar machines. The Graviator produces a gravitational field, which allows for instant acceleration during steep slopes or distant jumps.
Cobalt
Arcade
February 2, 2016
A two-dimensional science fiction platformer filled with humor and action, created by an independent Swedish team Oxeye Games in cooperation with Minecraft's producers - Mojang AB. The game's main character is an expeditionary robot called Metalface MK1. The protagonist travels to a distant planet, Tunkopia, to find a colony ship that went missing. While trying to find out what happened aboard the ship, our protagonist will have to face a throng of threats and enemies, such as murderous hamsters, flying robots, armored predators, etc. Luckily, MK1 is equipped with diversified weaponry and has a variety of useful skills, such as the ability to slow down time. These come in handy, for they allow the robot to defend itself in face of even the most deadly threats. The authors put emphasis on the gameplay being equally satisfying in the single-player mode and multiplayer. The latter provides the player with several variants of entertainment.
Hyperide
Arcade
February 3, 2016
A space arcade game from the endless runner genre, developed by Kool2Play. At first sight, Hyperide resembles classic space shooters that were once popular in the arcades. We control a small space ship that keeps flying upwards through levels filled with enemies and dangers. However, the gameplay strays from other similar games with one important feature: our ship doesn’t have any weapons mounted, meaning that our only choice is to avoid collisions with incoming objects. Hyperide offers two different game modes. The first one revolves around completing certain objectives within the levels with clearly defined beginning and end. The other one is infinite mode, where threats are generated randomly, our space track never ends, and the game goes on indefinitely until our ship is destroyed.
Geki Yaba Runner
Arcade
February 3, 2016
A mobile 2D platformer game, based on a free-to-play model (with optional microtransactions) and created by the Polish studio QubicGames. The action takes place in a magical realm and the player assumes the role of a gnome who must rescue a kidnapped princess. Geki Yaba Runner is a runner type of platformer, so the character runs automatically through levels full of dangers. Controls include only jumping and gliding at the right moment in order to avoid threats or collect socks scattered throughout the levels. The gnome can also transform for brief amount of time into a strong beast or a very fast athlete when you have to deal with harder stages. Instead of traditional bosses, the game offers special levels in castles where you must survive despite of dangerous illusions. Geki Yaba Runner is a difficult title, especially when it comes to beating scores in online leaderboards.
Splash Cars
Arcade
February 4, 2016
A free-to-play racing game developed by Craneballs, the creators of Overkill - a shooter series for mobile platforms. The action of Splash Cars is shown from isometric view. At the beginning, we are taken to a small black and white map. We drive a car that restores color by driving over or near a place, and our task is to color as much space as possible. However, it is not all that simple because we are constantly interrupted by police cars chasing after us, trying to ram and immobilize our vehicle or push it into a deadly trap. While driving, we gather points and coins scattered around the map which are then spent on new cars and parts that provide certain bonuses once installed.
Unravel
Arcade
February 9, 2016
An action-logic platform game created by Coldwood Interactive in cooperation with the Electronic Arts company. You play as Yarny, a character made of yarn, who travels across various locations, inspired by the landscape of northern Scandinavia, in search of traces of his long lost family. Scores of adventures await you, requiring you to cleverly use the protagonist’s unique ability of unraveling his own body. He can use some of the yarn he is made of to create a bridge or catch a fish and use it to cross a river. The game features impressive, fully 3D graphics, although presented in 2.5D perspective, resembling LittleBigPlanet.
MOP: Operation Cleanup
Arcade
February 9, 2016
A classic two-dimensional platformer by Mexican studio EnsenaSoft. The action takes place in the unspecified future in which Earth has fallen into ruin, covered with garbage. After the collapse of human civilization, new life forms emerged and, having underwent numerous mutations, eventually turned into hostile creatures. Designed to dispose of not only garbage but also mutants, the eponymous robot, called MOP, is here to save the day. The mechanics of MOP: Operation Cleanup bear a resemblance to classic platform games. During the game you move toward the right side of the screen, jump on platforms, avoid traps, and find various collectibles. There is also a wide range of enemies that you can evade or eliminate. The game is divided into five diversified levels depicting different parts of the world, each featuring side objectives to complete.
Tomb of the Mask
Arcade
February 9, 2016
An oldschool mobile arcade game by Happymagenta UAB, stylistically similar to first arcade games ever created. In Tomb of the Mask you play as a treasure hunter, who finds a magical mask, which gives him the ability to walk on walls and ceilings. This newfound skill helps him in exploring an underground maze in search of precious artifacts, as well as avoiding traps and enemies. During the game you move your character up, down and sideways in order to escape the maze, which moves vertically up. An additional attraction is the fact that the levels are procedurally generated, which makes each playthrough unique. As the game progresses, thanks to the points you earn you can unlock more masks, which give you bonus powers and make the game easier for you.
TRON RUN/r
Arcade
February 16, 2016
A third-person arcade game developed by a Disney Interactive's proprietary studio. The game is based on the famous science-fiction movie franchise, TRON. The action takes place in a virtual world located within a computer system. The protagonist, Kevin Flynn, is a programmer and the main character of the original 1982 movie. The gameplay mechanics were inspired by a popular genre existing on mobile devices - games known as endless runners. However, this game introduces a series of changes required for it to fit into the specifics of regular gaming systems. The individual routes in the game are not infinite or even randomly generated, each has its starting and ending points. The game offers two different types of routes that can be traveled sprinting on foot or sitting on a motorbike. Each of the routes available is filled with different traps and threats that have to be avoided by performing risky stunts. When running, the player also collects different bonuses and fights enemies in occasional combat sequences.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Arcade
February 18, 2016
Another entry in popular series of sport games, in which we meet characters from the most famous franchises of Nintendo and SEGA companies. The cycle first launched in 2007, since then accompanying each subsequent summer and winter Olympic Games, meaning that the 2016 edition takes us to the arenas of XXXI Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro, where, once again, two teams of characters will compete with each other. The first team comprises of heroes like Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Donkey Kong. The other one included e.g. Sonic, Shadow, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, Dr. Eggman or Knuckles. Mario & Sonic at Rio 2016 Olympic Games allows us to participate both in single and multiplayer disciplines, such as football, ping pong, volleyball, gymnastics, cross-country running, golf, and rugby. Similar to its predecessors, the title has the official license of International Olympic Committee.
Ninja Senki DX
Arcade
February 23, 2016
An old-school 2D platform game developed by Tribute Games, whose best-known work is Mercenary Kings. The main hero of Ninja Senki DX is a warrior named Hayate, who seeks revenge on demons for the death of princess Kinuhime. The protagonists decides to cast aside the iron rules of his clan and set out on a lethal crusade against the residents of the hell, mythological beasts, and other enemies. In terms of gameplay, it is a typical arcade game in which the hero jumps across platforms, collects coins and various power-ups, avoids traps, and deals with enemies using an endless supply of (in this particular case) shurikens. The journey leads him through more and more dangerous enemies. In order to defeat bosses you have to find and take advantage of their weaknesses. The game features simple pixel art graphics, so to resemble classic NES games.
Raiden V: Director's Cut
Arcade
February 25, 2016
The fifth official installment in a series of classic, scrolling top-down shooters. Raiden V was created by MOSS - a Japanese developer in possession of the rights to the franchise since 2005. Similar to the previous installments, the plot presents a great war between humans and Cranassian - an alien civilization that has attacked the Earth. The player has to face the invaders, assuming the role of a pilot. The game offers several characters to choose from, including a British or American male, as well as a Portuguese, German or a Romanian female. Each of the characters has a different personality and biography. Also, the player chooses from among three fighter planes (Japanese, French or American) differing both in statistics and weaponry. The story campaign comprises of a set of missions, during which the player fires at incoming enemies, drops bombs on ground targets and avoids enemy fire. The players have three fire modes at their disposal, allowing for continuous fire, shooting in bursts and launching rockets. Each of the cannons can be upgraded. Every level has their own setting and ends with a boss fight. What is new in Raiden V, is the Cheer System allowing another player to join the game at any moment.
Space Overlords
Arcade
March 3, 2016
Three-dimensional action game in which we play the role of Overlords, ancient cosmic guardians, trying to destroy a creature named Kesedihan, wishing to capture the whole universe. We fight on small three-dimensional planets, levelling the ground of the city and the army of our nemesis.
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Arcade
March 4, 2016
Two-dimensional party-game platformer designed to play in multiplayer. Up to four players can take part in the game (locally and over the Internet), and their task is to get to the finish line first and collect as many points as possible. However, it is not a regular race, because in Ultimate Chicken Horse we create the tracks by placing various platforms, jumps and traps on the board. You have to do it in such a way, that it makes life difficult for your opponents and at the same time makes it easier for yourself.
Blast 'Em Bunnies
Arcade
March 9, 2016
A colorful, cartoonish stationary first-person shooter developed by small Australian studio Nnnooo. The gameplay in Blast ’Em Bunnies focuses on eliminating waves of aggressive rabbits. During the game the player cannot move freely, being tied to a single firing position. Eight types of enemies can be found in the game; they differ from each other in terms of speed, toughness, and tactic, and becoming increasingly stronger with each wave. The main objective of the game is to eliminate the opponents before they get close enough to hurt the player. Four wacky weapons are used to exterminate the rabbits, including a carrot shotgun, a watermelon rifle, a turnip mortar, and a bean railgun. However, access to weapons and ammunition must be bought for in-game money earned in subsequent levels.
Deadbolt
Arcade
March 14, 2016
An old-school two-dimensional platformer with elements of stealth. It was created by Hopoo Games, a studio known for Risk of Rain. In the game, the player becomes an embodiment of death itself, coming to Earth to stop an undead invasion. Both the sides of the conflict are a bit unusual, because the Grim Reaper uses knives and firearms instead of a scythe, and as for the undead, they are overly watchful and intelligent - they can even wield pistols and rifles. Deadbolt puts large emphasis on stealth-action gameplay. The protagonist usually dies from a single hit, which forces the players to stay hidden and attack by surprise. This does not mean the game lacks dynamism, because it features a cover system that allows for a fairly effective exchange of fire. Therefore, each of the levels in the game can be completed in multiple ways, depending on the player's preferences.
Out there Somewhere
Arcade
March 14, 2016
Out there Somewhere is a platformer with elements of a puzzle game created by the MiniBoss studio and published by EQGames. The player takes on the role of an astronaut who crashed on an alien planet. The game is characterized by a simple two-dimensional graphics design in a retro style.
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge
Arcade
March 17, 2016
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is a follow-up to the 2012 platform game developed by Renegade Kids. The game is directed mostly to the players who finished the first installment of the series and works as a bridge to its upcoming sequel. We play as a regular kid named Max who has to save his planet from the invasion of the aliens known as the Mudd creatures. Max is equipped only with a water pistol and a special backpack that allows him to jump higher and farther. Gameplay in Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is inspired by the classic side-scrolling platformers like Mario Land and focuses on exploring the locations in order to find the exit and searching for hidden water sprites. We have to collect them if we want to defeat the invaders. As we play, we will face all kinds of traps and threats. One of the game's characteristic features is the possibility to move between its primary and secondary sets.
Bloody Finger JUMP
Arcade
March 17, 2016
A simple dexterity game, in which we take control over a cut off finger trying to give higher and more impressive jumps. The case is complicated by the presence of thorns located on the sides of the boards, with which contact ends with the death of the charges. As we progress, we unlock skins for the hero; we can boast about our achievements in Bloody Finger JUMP on online record boards.
Defy Gravity Extended
Arcade
March 18, 2016
Hybrid of a two-dimensional platformer and a puzzle game in which players take on the role of Kara - a gravitational ninja warrior. During the game, the heroine jumps over platforms and solves riddles. Gravity Gun comes in handy - a tool that creates gravity and antigravity "pockets" that pull or repel elements of the environment, as well as the environment itself.
Slither.io
Arcade
March 25, 2016
Co-developed by Steve Howse and Thorntree Studios, an arcade game resembling the popular mobile and browser hit Agar.io. During the game you are in control of a small snake which grows by eating bright points. Apart from yours, there are other snakes on the map and in order to win, you have to eat what remains of the bigger ones. The only problem is that they die only if they touch other creatures with their heads, so your objective is to maneuver your snake in a way that will make others run into you. This can be achieved with a number of techniques. There is no final purpose to the game, so you can play till the Earth stops turning. Similarly to the aforementioned production by M28 studio, Slither.io features minimalistic visuals. Even though they are simple, they still can give an ample scope for showing your brains and skill.
Lucky's Tale
Arcade
March 28, 2016
A colorful three-dimensional platformer with virtual reality goggle support. It was developed by Playful Corporation. The player takes control of a likable fox called Lucky, traveling across a colorful world full of different challenges to complete and enemies to defeat. When it comes to gameplay mechanics, the game is a typical platformer. Apart from the protagonist being able to run, jump, climb, and fight, he can also engage in a variety of additional activities and arcade mini-games. The game stands out with its support of the virtual reality technology that allows the player to look around freely when searching for hidden passages or to lean out of a fence or a rock to see what is on the other side. Thus the player's immersion in the adventures of Lucky reaches new depths. The game features three-dimensional, colorful and cartoonish visuals.