I think I’ve mentioned this before, but over the past couple of years there have been a ton of classic arcade games getting rebooted, remastered, re-released and even recharged. That last one has to do with today’s review Centipede: Recharged for the Nintendo Switch.
Let’s start off first with what is Centipede for those who are too young to remember the glory days of the arcade. Centipede is an arcade game that was developed and published by Atari in 1981. Players took control of a bug shaped creature called the Bug Blaster and the object of the game is to clear the field of mushrooms and shoot various bugs that would enter the playing field, such as spiders, fleas, scorpions and the titular centipede. The further players got the more crowded the field would get until the player expended all of their continues. As for the Recharged part of the game’s title, it’s due to the 80’s inspired neon wireframe aesthetic that the game sports.
Gameplay for Centipede: Recharged is pretty simple as the basics haven’t changed too much: you are confined to one half of the playing field and have to shoot the various bugs that travel down from the top half of the screen. What makes this version of the game different from the original is that now you are able to use power ups in order to shoot the bugs. In order to get these power ups you will have to shoot the spiders that appear in your half of the playfield with you. The power ups range from a spread shot and rapid fire to freezing time and having a shield. They are pretty powerful and can help clear the playfield pretty quickly but can only be used for a limited time before your blaster goes back to normal. Having these powers ups have made the already fun and addicting gameplay of Centipede even more fun as I would find myself shooting down spiders and letting power ups accumulate so that way I could pick up another one right away before the time limit was up.
As I mentioned Centipede: Recharged uses a 80’s inspired neon wireframe aesthetic instead of the original graphics. The new redesign actually looks really cool and with things like 80’s synthwave trending right now it fits right in. Though I would have liked it if the original game was included along with the main game as it is getting harder and harder to find an original arcade cabinet to play on (not counting the current Arcade 1Up cabinet).The music for Centipede: Recharged is reminiscent of 80’s electronica and synthwave, which is really cool.
Surprisingly Centipede: Recharged does come with a couple of modes that the original never had. These modes are challenges and a co-op mode. In co-op mode a friend can join in and play alongside you. In challenges (which also has a co-op mode) you are presented with various “maps” that have you perform a specific task. These range from destroying a set amount of bugs/mushrooms, surviving for a specific amount of time to destroying bugs with a specific power up. These challenges vary up gameplay if you do get bored with the standard arcade mode and are very fun to playthrough, especially that there is a global leaderboard.
Centipede: Recharged an example how the older retro arcade games should be modernized. New looks, great music, more ways to play and introducing power ups all the while keeping the original core gameplay all make for a very fun and solid experience. My only nitpick is that the original version of the game should have been packed in, to at least show younger players what the game was like in the past and as a nostalgia pop for those who grew up with the game. If you’re looking for a blast from the past with modern touches, give Centipede: Recharged a shot.
