During the recently concluded BlizzCon 2021, Blizzard Entertainment announced the Blizzard Arcade Collection, a bundle of three classic games from the studio’s 30-year history which includes Blackthorne, Rock N Roll Racing, The Lost Vikings. Before creating the seminal experiences that make up Warcraft: Orcs and Humans in 1994 and Diablo in 1997, Blizzard had a plethora of oft-forgotten arcade games under its name.
A puzzle-platformer, The Lost Vikings originally released in 1992 on the SNES and Sega Genesis. Players take on the role of three Vikings – Baelog the Fierce, Olaf the Stout, and Erik the Swift – each of whom must answer puzzles and beat formidable enemies on their difficult journey back home.
Another SNES/Sega Genesis game, Rock N Roll Racing launch in 1993; the game allowed players to experience demolition racing behind the wheel of customizable vehicles installed with upgradeable weapons.
Months before the launch of the first-ever Warcraft title, a name that remains alive and well today, Blizzard launched Blackthorne. The platformer is set on a 2D alien world, where players take on the role of a commando named Kyle “Blackthorne” Vlaros.
Blizzard revealed the Blizzard Arcade Collection during the BlizzCon 2021 live stream a few days ago. The bundle, which is now available for purchase, includes enhanced versions of Blackthorne, Rock N Roll Racing, and The Lost Vikings.
On PC, the bundle is exclusive to Battle.net which players can access via Blizzard’s The Celebration Collection. Microsoft Store, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo eShop players can either buy the Blizzard Arcade Collection as a standalone for $20 or as part of The Blizzard 30-Year Celebration Collection. In addition, a press release from the publisher mentioned that the arcade collection is indeed backward compatible on both Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
Each Blizzard Arcade Collection game features its original version and definitive edition. Furthermore, each edition comes with custom key mapping and rewind capabilities. Watch Mode for the original versions of Blackthorne and The Lost Vikings serves as another bonus, letting players watch a playthrough of the game and jump back at their own leisure.
This appears to be a neat bundle for fans who aren’t familiar with Blizzard’s history pre-Overwatch, Warcraft, and Diablo. Still, it’s sad that the buying options are somewhat limited in some cases. Certainly, console players can pick and choose how they want to invest in the bundle, but PC owners don’t even have the option to buy the arcade collection as a separate item.
