<s>
198X	B-Application
is	O
an	O
arcade	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Swedish	O
team	O
Hi-Bit	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sonka	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
worldwide	O
on	O
January	O
23	O
,	O
2020	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
received	O
a	O
Metacritic	O
rating	O
of	O
65	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
198Xs	O
5	O
chapters	O
are	O
each	O
based	O
around	O
different	O
arcade	O
game	O
genres	O
that	O
were	O
popular	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
ups	I-Application
and	O
horizontally-scrolling	O
space	O
shooters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
introductory	O
sequence	O
entitled	O
Beating	O
Heart	O
that	O
plays	O
like	O
a	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
,	O
the	O
teenage	O
protagonist	O
fights	O
their	O
way	O
from	O
the	O
subway	O
station	O
and	O
through	O
the	O
streets	O
of	O
the	O
unnamed	O
city	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
live	O
until	O
they	O
reach	O
a	O
hospital	O
where	O
they	O
are	O
attacked	O
by	O
a	O
hooded	O
figure	O
with	O
glowing	O
red	O
eyes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feeling	O
disconnected	O
at	O
school	O
,	O
the	O
Kid	O
's	O
mind	O
frequently	O
returns	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
where	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
on	O
an	O
asteroid	B-Application
somewhere	O
fighting	O
space	O
invaders.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
then	O
transitions	O
to	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
called	O
"	O
Shadowplay	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
mention	O
that	O
night	O
was	O
when	O
"	O
everything	O
changed	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
arcade	O
before	O
198X	B-Application
transitions	O
into	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
entitled	O
"	O
Kill	O
Screen	O
"	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
to	O
defeat	O
3	O
dragons	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
solve	O
a	O
maze	O
before	O
fighting	O
the	O
unwinnable	O
SHODAN-like	O
final	O
boss	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
from	O
198X	B-Application
's	O
various	O
games	O
begin	O
to	O
materialize	O
around	O
the	O
Kid	O
,	O
with	O
them	O
concluding	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
over	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
KickStarter	O
page	O
for	O
198X	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
on	O
May	O
3	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
With	O
the	O
developer	O
Hi-Bit	O
Studios	O
seeking	O
SEK	O
500,000	O
for	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
198X	B-Application
received	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
65	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
indicating	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
Life	O
,	O
Damien	O
McFerren	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
8/10	O
stars	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
while	O
198X	B-Application
had	O
an	O
"	O
exceptional	O
"	O
soundtrack	O
and	O
cited	O
Out	O
of	O
the	O
Void	O
as	O
"	O
perhaps	O
the	O
highlight	O
of	O
the	O
entire	O
game	O
"	O
,	O
he	O
found	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
too	O
short	O
,	O
with	O
McFerren	O
able	O
to	O
breeze	O
through	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
198X	B-Application
in	O
"	O
around	O
an	O
hour	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
review	O
for	O
GameSpot	O
,	O
James	O
O'Connor	O
gave	O
198X	B-Application
5/10	O
stars	O
,	O
calling	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
mediocre	O
"	O
and	O
stating	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
"	O
does	O
a	O
great	O
job	O
of	O
evoking	O
the	O
arcade	O
classics	O
it	O
is	O
paying	O
homage	O
to	O
"	O
and	O
calling	O
Shadowplay	O
"	O
great	O
"	O
he	O
ultimately	O
concluded	O
that	O
198X	B-Application
was	O
a	O
"	O
great	O
idea	O
with	O
middling	O
execution	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
there	O
's	O
"	O
not	O
enough	O
here	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
proper	O
ode	O
to	O
'	O
80s	O
arcades	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
Kid	O
's	O
plight	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
longing	O
to	O
escape	O
his	O
current	O
life	O
"	O
do	O
n't	O
totally	O
connect	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
finished	O
the	O
review	O
by	O
saying	O
"	O
198X	B-Application
feels	O
more	O
like	O
a	O
proof	O
of	O
concept	O
than	O
a	O
final	O
product.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
's	O
Martin	O
Robinson	O
stated	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
"	O
cynical	O
"	O
going	O
into	O
198X	B-Application
due	O
to	O
seeing	O
many	O
other	O
games	O
like	O
it	O
before	O
,	O
but	O
praised	O
its	O
style	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
pitch	O
perfect	O
pastiches	O
"	O
of	O
classic	O
arcade	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
called	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
assured	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
whole	O
package	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robinson	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
was	O
n't	O
convinced	O
by	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
chalking	O
up	O
his	O
issues	O
with	O
it	O
to	O
either	O
198X	B-Application
being	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
a	O
planned	O
series	O
that	O
just	O
only	O
found	O
its	O
feet	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
title	O
or	O
the	O
narrator	O
who	O
he	O
found	O
to	O
"	O
sound	O
both	O
bored	O
and	O
melodramatic	O
at	O
once	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
the	O
review	O
by	O
stating	O
the	O
developer	O
Hi-Bit	O
Studios	O
did	O
"	O
Fine	O
work	O
here	O
"	O
while	O
stating	O
that	O
198X	B-Application
is	O
"	O
nestled	O
between	O
near	O
meticulous	O
versions	O
of	O
key	O
inspirations	O
such	O
as	O
Ninja	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
,	O
OutRun	B-Application
,	O
Gradius	B-Application
and	O
R-Type	B-Application
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
no	O
greater	O
compliment	O
than	O
to	O
say	O
that	O
the	O
tributes	O
on	O
offer	O
here	O
sit	O
happily	O
alongside	O
the	O
originals	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
