Chicagocades: Underground Retrocade
Nearly 40 years ago, when kids wanted to test their reflexes and imaginations, they’d load up their pockets with every quarter they could find and walk down to the local arcade — a magical, dark den filled with foreign noises and a million plastic clicks. Looming cabinets dressed up with monkeys, mustachioed men and blue ghosts brightened the concentrated faces of the world’s youth. They were ’80s havens wielding the power of fun with nothing more than a circuit board, electricity and the promise to prove one’s skill.
However, just before the Reagan decade came to a close these arcades went out of style and powered down. Their reign was “blink and you missed it” short, but the impact they had on popular culture is still being felt to this day with many forms of media covering the topic. Arcades played a huge role in the colossal industry that is gaming. It’s an industry that’s being taken more seriously by the second and for good reason. eSports is bringing competitive gaming to crowded stadiums, mobile gaming is giving anybody with a few minutes of free time a chance to enjoy the hobby and virtual reality is promising an experience that could shape the future. The sky seems to be the limit right now and everyone is shooting for the stars.
But even when some players are looking forward to what could be, there’s still a large group of people looking back to gaming’s roots — back to those noisy rooms lit solely by the pixelated gameplay of Space Invaders.
Lucky for the ones located in the Chicagoland area we at CULTURE are making it our mission to find all of these fine establishments and report back with our findings in an ongoing series titled Chicagocades: The Chicago Arcade Compendium.
Based on aspects such as location, game selection, atmosphere and cost, we’re going to grade each establishment to show you which ones might be most worth your time when you want to experience the retro revival.
We’ll kick off this adventure with the suburban arcade Underground Retrocade.
Location: Right on route 72 in West Dundee, Underground Retrocade is about an hour out of the city, so while this could be a great option for people coming out of the suburbs, it might be less than desirable for anybody too close to Chicago. However, if you do decide to make the trip, there are a few bar and restaurant options within walking distance from the arcade and even a candy shop if you need something to snack on. Just be sure to eat it outside as no food or drink are allowed inside Underground Retrocade. And for all of you night owls out there, you’ll be happy to know machines are running until 1AM Friday and Saturday and until 11PM every other night. Parents looking for a weekend option for the family are also taken into consideration as doors open at 11AM Saturday and Sunday. Address: 121 W Main St, West Dundee, IL 60118
Cost: Entrance will set you back $15 and, unfortunately, young children don’t play for free. But, the $15 also buys you a wristband that allows you access for the entire day, so you’re encouraged to hop out of you get hungry or want to leave and come back later. This is $5 less than Galloping Ghost, but comes with far less games to choose from(having less than a third of the library). For those of you looking to just play a few games you know you’ll love, this is a good option, but if you’re a video game lover who’s going to see what the world of arcades have to offer, there are better options for the price. However, party packages and group discounts are offered and are offered and worth exploring for anyone looking to host an arcade-theme birthday or work event.
Game Selection: Speaking of library, Underground Retrocade has 176 games to choose from, 15 of which are pinball machines and three plug and play consoles(the Atari V5, Intellivision and Colecovision). There’s enough there to keep you satisfied for hours with titles in every genre and three unique titles only found at the location. There’s also an air hockey machine for those looking to smack some semi-floating discs when digital images aren’t quite doing it for them. Many of the classics such as Space Invaders, Tetris and Pac-Man are there alongside fan favorites like the six-player, side-scrolling X-Men and the addictive Star Wars game. While Underground Retrocade doesn’t match the Galloping Ghost’s collection(what does?), it puts most arcades’ libraries to shame and the quality of games there more than make up for it. There were only a few occasions where a machine wasn’t operating quite right, and that’s to be expected from cabinets built when George Bush Sr. was serving as Vice President.
Presentation: Arcades have never really been known for their fancy look or stunning architecture -quite the opposite is true - but there’s no denying the unmistakable basement-esque feel of an arcade. It’s a strange charm, but one that’s terribly unique to these electric sanctuaries. Underground Retrocade might not welcome guests with the most polished space but it at least captures that ’80s essence in its two-story setup. A couple of glass cases house gaming relics and era-specific music adds to the bouquet of sounds found in the West Dundee location which give off the authentic vibe that arcade enthusiasts will appreciate. Although the amount of open space doesn’t exactly jive with the cramped corridors feel usually associated with arcades, this does give some much appreciated breathing room, which can be a rarity in a lot of the arcades in the area and will be preferable to more solitary players.
So while Underground Retrocade might not be the best bang for your buck, it’s not the closest for Chicagoans and its library could do with some expanding, it does manage to get the fundamentals right with all-day access, spacious playing areas, nearby restaurant and bar options and a few games that you can’t play in anywhere else. For those of you interested in poking around, it’s worth checking out on a rainy Sunday with a few friends in tow. Just be sure to leave your quarters at home.
Overall Score: 8
