Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Night Slashers is available now on the Nintendo Switch! Find out more about this arcade beat ’em up game in our Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Night Slashers review!

 

Not that long ago, most gamers were acquainted with arcades as a part of their regular gaming experience. However, with every passing day you find less and less arcades, with at home experiences or portable gaming becoming the standard. This has resulted in more arcades closing and going out of business, with newer generations missing out on the fun gamers used to have back in the day. With fewer people enjoying the many classic arcade titles out there, how could they be given a chance to experience them in their current gaming consoles? This is a problem that the Johnny Turbo’s Arcade range of games has set out to solve by offering arcade games you can play at home or on the go.

Night Slashers it a classic beat ’em up title for up to three players that debuted in 1993, and it follows the story of three heroes: Jake Hunter, a monster hunter with cybernetic arms; Christopher Smith, a vampire hunter; and Zhao Hong Hua, a martial artist proficient in the mystic arts. They are brought together in their journey to stop the evil King Zarutz and his wicked plans of turning the planet into a realm of horror packed in full with the undead.

Each character has its own stats, abilities and even endings, which does increase the overall replay value for the game, not to mention that you being able to play it on your own or with friends by way of local co-op is a great experience. Since this is a direct arcade port, all the original mechanics are present, including the use of coins for in-game credits! In true arcade style, you can choose how many credits you want to put into the game, and all you need to do is press a button to add some virtual currency to your run. Even though you are not spending actual tokens or money, it’s a nice feature to have.

It is a solid port, but it’s important to keep in mind that not all games age the same way, so your mileage may vary. It’s very loyal to the original. The animations, gameplay mechanics, sound effects and story are just as you remember them, but this does mean that there isn’t anything new or different between the actual arcade machine and the digital version we now get to play. Not that this is a bad thing, but it might feel a little lackluster when compared to modern games or when assessed by generations that didn’t grow up with the experience of arcade gaming.

All and all, Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Night Slashers is a very enjoyable experience, even if it can beat it in 30-40 minutes at most. This doesn’t mean you will be done since you can go for another run to get the other two endings for completing the game with the remaining characters, plus a beat ‘em up is always a great option to break out when you have friends over for some fun and relaxing gaming.

Disclaimer
This Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Night Slashers review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Flying Tiger Entertainment.