Some of us weren’t around in the ’80s, but that doesn’t stop us from the feeling of vivid nostalgia we have for new wave hits, technicolored-patterned jumpers, and all the zaniness the decade had to offer.
For those who were around in those simpler times, games that are today seen as extraordinarily plain and primitive compared to today’s digital depth were portals to unchartered territory.
Hours and hours were spent contesting those most competitive cutting-edge classics that were so beautifully basic. Tekken and Street Fighter would offer button-bashing blitzes, Super Mario Bros provided unparalleled pandemonium, while before that Space Invaders and Pacman trailblazed in genres of their own.
The 1980s are making a comeback with all the kaleidoscopic fashion lines, new wave, synth-driven music, and nostalgia-saturated television shows like Stranger Things, and now those gaming blasts from the past can be enjoyed too.
In Dallas’ Bishops Arts District old gamers can take a trip down memory lane, or simply a journey back in time at Flash Back Retro Pub in Oak Cliff.
Within this upbeat cocktail bar filled with nostalgic decor, visitors will find over 60 arcade games in addition to Sega Genesis, Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo Switch, all free to play, every single day.
“From the high school lockers turned liquor cabinet, to the Rubik’s cube tables and the lite brite directional signs,” the pub writes on its website, “you’ll be wondering if you accidentally drove a DeLorean back in time to get here.”
Inaugurated in OKC back in 2015, FlashBack RetroPub is a boozy arcade with an affinity for bright colors and big hair. Last year, the pub opened its second location here in Dallas to get its game on.
Beset in graffitied brick walls, FlashBack now features perhaps the best variety of nostalgic games you’ll find in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. All free to play, its selection includes arcade staples such as pinball and skeeball, as well as an eclectic range of games on its many vintage consoles plus various board games such as Risk and Clue.
While gaming, patrons can confer with the bar’s massive list of over 100 local craft beers, as well as ’80-inspired Signature Cocktails like Beetlejuice, Big Bird, Care Bear, Flux Capacitor, and Ferris Bueller.
FlashBack BrewPub is open at 821 W Davis Street from 5 pm to midnight Monday through Thursday; 5 pm – 2 am on Fridays; 2 pm – 2 am on Saturdays; and 4 pm–midnight on Sundays.
More information can be found at www.flashbackretropub.com.