Akka Arrh

Who wouldn’t want to go on a trippy arcade space shooter in virtual reality? Although Akka Arrh was released back in 2023, developer Llamasoft has pushed out a free update to all PlayStation 5 owners of the game to include an all-new VR mode. Coming from the talented brain of Jeff Minter (Tempest 2000, Space Giraffe), Akka Arrh was once a scrapped arcade game in the 1980s developed by Atari. Tweaks have been made to the original prototype by Llamasoft and has transformed the game into a modern arcade classic.

Stay with me as I try to describe Akka Arrh as it’s a very unique title. It plays a lot like an arcade combination of Missile Command and Tempest, but with some unique twists. You pilot your starship “Sentinel” at the center of your screen which is in a fixed position. Enemies will approach the Sentinel, and your job is to prevent them from approaching your ship. If they do approach your ship, they will try to steal life pods from your ship, which essentially represent the health of your ship. To prevent enemies from breaching the Sentinel, the player can drop bombs in strategic locations to blow up enemies. Once an enemy is destroyed, it in turn creates an explosion, allowing for chain reactions which can destroy other enemies. The trick here is that although there are an unlimited amount of bombs a player can use, every time a bomb is utilized the bonus score counter resets to zero. This allows the player to strategically place their bombs to achieve the highest score possible. If an enemy does breach the Sentinel, the player has the ability to switch views to utilize a cannon to try and prevent the enemies from stealing the life pods from the Sentinel.

The VR immersion in Akka Arrh is very well done. The outer space playfield makes you feel like you are floating, but did not cause motion sickness. Vector graphics are prominent in the game, utilizing bright colors and animations that constantly grab your attention. The controls are tight, but if you prefer you can also use a standard DualSense controller. Overall, this game is a psychedelic arcade fever dream in the best way imaginable. Arrka Arrh features over 50 frantic levels that will keep you coming back for another round immediately after you lose that last life pod. Good news if you already have the PS5 version of Akka Arrh, the VR update is a free download, with nothing additional to purchase. If you love arcade shooters or just want an excellent funky VR experience, you definitely will not be disappointed in Akka Arrh.