• Home
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
  • Features
    • Curation by Cee
    • Holy, Mother Cover!
    • Sincerely, Cee | A letter from yours truly
    • The Three C’s: Candid Conversations with Cee
    • You’re Just My Type | Fonts galore!
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Review Policy
    • Giveaway Policy
  • Contact

The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW • Skeleton or Space Fight? (Crypt Quest/Space Battles (Midnight Arcade #1) by Gabe Soria)

March 12, 2018 Leave a Comment

[note note_color=”#000000″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Crypt Quest/Space Battles (Midnight Arcade #1) by Gabe Soria • February 13, 2018 • Penguin
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Indigo | Library

Trapped in a 80’s era haunted video arcade, Midnight Arcade is a play-your-way adventure tale in which the reader determines the course of action, ultimately controlling whether they live . . . or die!

After climbing a fence near an abandoned mall, you discover a derelict video arcade managed by a ghostly attendant. Presented with a magical game token, you select one of two games you wish to play, the eerie Crypt Quest or the flashy Space Battles. Once you place the token in the slot, you have to make choices to advance through the games and your decisions control whether you beat the game, or die.

Both games feature unique villains and life-like game play that will delight readers, and the most important choice in either game for those now trapped inside them, is the one that will keep them alive.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Penguin for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “As you stand in front of the boarded-up doors that loom before you, you can’t help but wonder: Am I nuts?“

An ode to ’80s video games where you get to decide what YOU—the main character—get to do a-la-“Choose Your Own Adventure” style.

You jump over a fence and head into the creepy abandoned mall. You find yourself somehow transported into an arcade hall, where an attendant stops you from leaving by offering an arcade token. You feel compelled to take the coin, and once you do, you are set on a path of no going back until you defeat the game or get a GAME OVER (and that’s something you don’t want).

Will you play Space Battles—a space fighter game—or Crypt Quest—a medieval quest with skeletons?

  • It’s not your typical choose your adventure. The format is what you expect—a set-up story that asks you to pick between two choices and once you’ve picked, you got to the corresponding page, but Midnight Arcade slightly strays away after that by presenting this:

These are arcade controls that you’ve gotta pick. You follow the corresponding page and dots. Simple enough, right? Eh, you’ve got to really pay attention to the corresponding dots. I found myself a bit lost at times.

  • Every choice I made went in loops and was quite restrictive. Every single time I picked what to do—turning to the corresponding page and dots—it sent me back to square one to pick a different choice. That isn’t fun, especially when you’re sent back again and again. This didn’t even give me the illusion that I had a choice in the adventure; it felt very restrictive. I wished there were hints—at least better ones—of what choice to make so I wasn’t stuck in a Groundhog Day situation.
  • I didn’t particularly enjoy this “choose your own adventure” story because the storyline was pretty much non-existent. It didn’t entice me to want to continue, especially when all my choices kept leading me back to square one.

Should you read Crypt Quest/Space Battles? Unfortunately, I say you should pass on this. I like what it’s trying to do—bringing ’80s video games to the new generation, but the story isn’t entertaining and the choices get annoying when you keep going back to square one.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Previous:
BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Bought in February
Next:
REVIEW • Dress Like a Woman: Working Women and What They Wore

You might also enjoy

REVIEW • Wonder Woman to the Rescue! (Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee)REVIEW • Wonder Woman to the Rescue! (Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee)
REVIEW • The Strange, the Selfish, and the ??????? (Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke)
BLOG TOUR • The World Is Your Rainstorm (Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me


I’m Cee. Lover of books + comics. Bookseller. Former teen witch.

The Novel Hermit is written by a daydreamer who loves books and want to share her love with everybody. You will find YA, comics, reviews, discussions, book cover love, and lots of adoration for books. What more can you ask for?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

If you want to read more of my reviews and book cover discussions, or you want a narwhal to appear in your dreams, subscribe by email here!

Follow Me

Twitter Facebookg Goodreads Instagram Pinterest E-mail RSS

Recent Posts

  • HOLY MOTHER COVER! • Favorite 2022 YA Covers
  • MUSIC TO MY (Y)EAR • 2022
  • TOO MUCH TBR • January 2023
  • BOOKS IN HAND • What Books Customers Are Buying in December 2022
  • BOOKS IN HANDS • What Readers Bought During Holidays 2022

ARCHIVES

2023

  • – January (4)
    • HOLY MOTHER COVER! • Favorite 2022 YA Covers
    • MUSIC TO MY (Y)EAR • 2022
    • TOO MUCH TBR • January 2023
    • BOOKS IN HAND • What Books Customers Are Buying in December 2022

2022

  • + December (5)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (5)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (8)
  • + April (4)
  • + March (3)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (5)

2021

  • + December (5)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (1)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (4)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (3)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (2)
  • + February (3)
  • + January (1)

2020

  • + December (4)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (2)
  • + August (3)
  • + May (1)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (4)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (3)

2019

  • + December (4)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (7)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (3)
  • + July (1)
  • + June (4)
  • + May (2)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (1)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (4)

2018

  • + December (3)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (2)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (2)
  • + July (3)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (6)
  • + April (11)
  • + March (9)
  • + February (7)
  • + January (7)

2017

  • + December (5)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (11)
  • + September (14)
  • + August (12)
  • + July (12)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (13)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (10)

2016

  • + December (9)
  • + November (11)
  • + October (12)
  • + September (15)
  • + August (8)
  • + July (16)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (17)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (15)

2015

  • + December (15)
  • + November (15)
  • + October (15)
  • + September (17)
  • + August (18)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (15)
  • + March (14)
  • + February (15)
  • + January (14)

2014

  • + December (14)
  • + November (14)
  • + October (13)
  • + September (11)
  • + August (14)
  • + July (14)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (17)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (21)

2013

  • + December (18)
  • + November (17)
  • + October (21)
  • + September (18)
  • + August (16)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (6)
  • + March (7)
  • + February (4)
  • + January (2)

2012

  • + December (2)

Disclaimer

All of the books I review either have been purchased by me, borrowed from the library, and sent to me by the publisher (the latter of which I will note).

All the words and opinions in this blog are my own. I am not paid to write reviews. Synopsis are taken from either the back of the book or from Goodreads.com.

Any use and/or duplication of my material without permission from me (the author and owner of The Novel Hermit blog) is strictly prohibited.

2023 The Novel Hermit. All Rights Reserved. Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2023 · Yoon Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in