THE CABINETS
Ten original games, 1972 to 1984, one from today, and three machines from the floor
Every recreation in Arcade 84 is an original built on a mechanic that existed by the end of 1984: the rules, the timing and the feel of a golden-age classic, with its own names, sprites, sounds and layouts. One cabinet is different: HEXADU is our own hex block puzzle, the same game that is on the App Store and Google Play, standing in the room as a real machine. Free, no download, no account. Walk in and click a cabinet, or go straight to one below.
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GLOWCHASE
Maze chase · 1980
Clear the neon maze while four drones hunt you. Grab a pellet and hunt them back.
Arrows or W A S D move. Enter starts, Space pauses. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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HIVEFIRE
Fixed shooter · 1981
Drone hive above, one interceptor below. Shoot the divers, dodge the beam, win your ship back.
Left and right move, or the mouse. Z fires. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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HEXADU
Hex block puzzle · our own game, 2026
Drop hex pieces onto the honeycomb. Fill a line or a wedge to clear it, chain clears for streaks, and group three gems to pop them. The same board, pieces and scoring as the apps.
Drag a piece from the tray onto the board with the mouse or a finger. Enter starts, Space pauses. Also on iPhone and iPad, Android and at hexadu.com.
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PADDLEDUEL
Two-paddle tennis · 1972
Two paddles, one ball. First to eleven. The rally gets faster every hit.
The mouse moves the paddle, or up and down. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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BRICKSTORM
Brick-breaker · 1976
One paddle, one ball, six rows of neon brick. Clear the wall and it comes back faster.
The mouse moves the paddle, or left and right. Click or Z serves. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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ROCKBURST
Multidirectional shooter · 1979
Turn, burn and blast the drifting rock into smaller rock. Watch for saucers, and hyperspace only when you must.
Left and right turn, up thrusts, Z fires, down is hyperspace. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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SKYSIEGE
Fixed shooter · 1978
Rows of drones march down the sky. Hold the line from under crumbling shields, one shot at a time.
Left and right move, or the mouse. Z fires. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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SERPENTINE
Snake · 1976
Hunt the embers and grow. Every one makes you longer and faster. Do not touch the walls or yourself.
Arrows or W A S D steer. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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CITYSHIELD
Point defense · 1980
Six cities, three batteries, thirty shots a wave. Tap the sky and let the rings do the rest.
The mouse aims and a click fires, or arrows and Z. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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ROADHOP
Lane crossing · 1981
Hop a hover-robot through traffic, across the river on diving plates, and home before the clock runs out.
Arrows or W A S D hop. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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MANYLEGS
Vertical shooter · 1981
A chain of pods winds down through the crystals. Every hit splits it. Keep the zone clear.
Arrows or W A S D move, or the mouse. Z fires. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
The machines
Not everything in an arcade had a screen. In the wing, beside the jukebox, stand two pinballs and an alley roller, built the same way as the cabinets: the whole machine is simulated, the ball obeys the physics, and every sound is synthesized on the spot.
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STARLANE
Pinball · 1947
Flipper pinball on a deep-space field. Spell STAR in the top lanes to raise your bonus, drop the bank for five thousand, and nudge if you dare.
Left and right flip, or click either half of the glass. Hold down to pull the plunger and let go to launch. Z nudges, and three nudges tilt. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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JOLTWIRE
Pinball · 1947
A fast, busy flipper pinball: four pop bumpers in a diamond, a four-target drop bank on the right, and standups on the left. Spell JOLT for the multiplier.
Left and right flip, or click either half of the glass. Hold down to pull the plunger and let go to launch. Z nudges, and three nudges tilt. On a phone, the on-screen pad. Any gamepad works.
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ALLEYROLL
Alley roller · 1909
Nine wooden balls up the lane and over the hump. Land them in the rings, 10 at the foot to 50 at the top, or roll the edge for the 100 pockets. Hold to set your power, let go to roll.
Left and right aim, or the mouse. Hold Z (or the mouse button) to build power and let go to roll. On a phone, the on-screen pad and fire button. Any gamepad works.
Coming soon
Six more cabinets stand in the room with their marquees lit and their screens dark: WELLFIRE, HUEHOP, SUBSOIL, ROLLWAY, LINEFALL and LAVAMAZE. Each one opens when it plays as well as the ones above. Point at one in the room, or tap it on a phone, and press I'M WAITING to take a place in line: the longest lines say which to open next, and when one you waited for opens, the arcade tells you on your next visit. Leave an email with your place in line and you get one message on the day it opens instead, with a one-click way off the list.
How to play
On a laptop, W A S D or the arrows walk the room and the mouse looks around; click a cabinet to step up to it. At the cabinet, Enter starts a credit, Space pauses and Escape steps back. Every game plays standing at the machine in 3D or flat on the screen; the panel at the cabinet switches between them. On a phone the on-screen pad walks and plays, and a credit opens the flat screen so the game fills the width. A real arcade stick or a console controller works everywhere: how to connect one.
Scores
Every cabinet keeps a world board for today and for all time, entered with three initials at game over, the way it was done. Your own best stays on your device as well. No account, nothing to sign up for.