$19.99American Arcadia Escape the Show That Wants You Dead
Trevor Hills is the most boring man in Arcadia, a 70s dream city where every citizen is secretly on live TV 24/7. When his ratings drop, the penalty is death. Play his escape as a 2.5D platformer while Angela, a stage technician, hacks the world open for him in first person. A cinematic, twisty story with real wit.
Is American Arcadia worth it?
American Arcadia is worth it if…
- you want a story-first game you can finish in a handful of evenings
- you enjoy switching between two perspectives that depend on each other
- you like a mystery that keeps adding twists and lies right up to the end
- you have a soft spot for 70s retro-futurism and dry satire
- you prefer puzzles and escape over combat
Screenshots
Two characters, two ways to play
Trevor's life is a side-scrolling one: he moves left, right and jumps, which is exactly as limited as his world. Angela, backstage at Walton Media, sees everything in first person. She hacks cameras, opens doors and reroutes the city so his escape route stays alive.
The two halves alternate, and sometimes they run at once: you guide Trevor across a rooftop while, on Angela's screen, you flip switches and dodge a loyalty test on a timer. The switching is the game's best trick. One moment you are sprinting from pursuers, the next you are quietly unlocking the path ahead of him, and the story gives every switch a reason.
A city built as a TV set
Arcadia is a retro-futuristic 70s metropolis of rounded shapes and vivid color, and everyone in it lives in comfort without knowing they are the show. The look is half the pleasure: bright, hand-crafted and cheerful on the surface, with the cameras always implied just off frame.
The story is told like a broadcast too. Interviews with the characters, grainy 4:3 archive clips about Arcadia's past and other staged segments fill in the world between chapters, and late in the game the frame literally becomes a live stream with chat scrolling past. It is a satire about audiences, and it makes you one.
How long does it take to finish?
Is it difficult?
No. The puzzles are accessible and the platforming is forgiving for most of the run. A few action and chase sections ask for several attempts, and the moments where you control Trevor and Angela at the same time demand some real-time juggling, but nothing here is built to punish.
Who are the characters voiced by?
The cast includes seasoned voice actors: Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man 1 & 2), Krizia Bajos (Cyberpunk 2077, League of Legends) and Cissy Jones (Firewatch, Call of the Sea). The performances carry a lot of the game's humor and warmth, and both leads are easy to root for.
