Numskull's Space Invaders Quarter Arcade: Resisting the Limits of Miniaturization

Numskull—it’s a U.K. company that specializes in inexpensive, Mass-produced collectibles. Pins. Caps. Rubber duckies (not joking). Baubles, some might say. And junk, according to others.

But some years ago, Numskull got ambitious—instead of specializing solely in chintz, what if it strove to do something noble? And so came its “Quarter Arcade” initiative; recognizing the innate artistry to those old arcade cabinets of yore, the company began producing them as miniature, nigh-perfect replicas, from Pac-Man to Galaga. Each playable. Each resembling the considerable originals down to the smallest nuance.

Numskull’s mission was commendable in concept. But for a company accustomed to rubber duckies, making a playable, 1/4 scale arcade miniature was quite the leap in engineering. And not surprisingly, the company struggled. Glitches. Low-quality screens. Extreme manufacturing and shipping costs. Numskull both underestimated the difficulty involved…and the rage of certain passionate (and maybe self-entitled) types who specialize in being dissatisfied.

It’s a trick the company has never quite overcome, years later, with its latest line of releases. Most notably, Space Invaders. I already evaluated the game’s sequel, known as Space Invaders “Part 2” or “Deluxe,” in a previous Amazon review. And that machine, as expected, sports the beautifully-crafted exterior one would expect from the company’s products. Aesthetics is where Numskull excels.

But the hardware…this is where the company sometimes fails. And though the game inside Space Invader II’s mini cabinet plays accurately…the graphics were a smidge murky to see. A tad dim. A bit obscured by the printed backdrop that felt, during play, like an ink blot spilled across the screen. It was still playable…but the marching aliens were a slight strain to discern—as if marching behind rather than before the scenery.

The problem derives from the mirroring technique used in both versions (Part 1 and 2) of the game. The aliens—the graphics—use a mirroring technique called the “Pepper’s Ghost Effect” to project the graphics through a semi-transparent mirror, thus granting the illusion that the aliens are marching atop the “backdrop” (a planetoid or moon base printed, respectively, on an invisible pane). The cabinet, essentially, is a hollowed-out shadow box that overlays the graphics across the otherwise prefabricated scenery. The invaders, cannon, and barriers are the “special effects” integrated within. And in the original arcade machine, the end result is a happy marriage of both practical and graphical effect.

Unfortunately, Numskull couldn’t quite capture the illusion convincingly with its Space Invaders Part 2 cab. The graphics never felt fully integrated/combined with their environment. Like a melody played slightly out of tune, the game couldn’t achieve the harmony needed between all of its instruments. The notes were right, but the pitch was slightly off.

Which all presupposes the natural question: Does Numskull’s rendition of the first Space Invaders machine also fail in similar fashion? The good news is that, thankfully, the effect works better here, offering an experience closer to the effective illusion of the original, upright machine. But, it’s still not perfect. Something is still ajar…just a touch amiss.

The graphics are brighter than what’s found in the sequel machine. Trouble is, the planetoid backdrop is never able to truly “trick” the brain into perceiving it as anything more than an annoying laminate/acrylic laid across that invisible pane. This leaves the aliens feeling, at best, like a projection, not living inside the playfield but simply emblazoned on top. It’s not unlike those outdoor Halloween projectors which cast a series of ghoulish shapes across the outside of a house. Numskull’s graphics are not nearly so ostentatious, of course; they’re attractive, just not organic. Think of a cute, life-like puppet which, once the camera zooms in, has its strings, wires, even a zipper exposed. The puppeteering is still neat and achieves its purpose, but the suspension of disbelief has been snipped from the proceedings.

Which leads to the next obvious question: After years of trying, why hasn’t Numskull fully cracked the Pepper’s Ghost puzzle? After thinking far too much about this, I’ve decided it’s not entirely the company’s fault. The problem, I think, is one of physicality: the practical results of both depth and distance.

In the arcade, players were probably a good 2-3 feet away from where the “magic” happened—from the point inside that concave box where alien and prop combined so nicely. From that distance and angle, the graphics and printed overlay did (seem) to mesh incredibly well.

But right up close—on a tiny device where the player’s nose is inches, not feet, from the display? The illusion then breaks, foiled by the realities of physical space and the characteristics of the human eye. The effect isn’t entirely sabotaged, to be clear…but the proverbial “seams” do become visible. It’s like looking at a digital photograph that seems beautiful from far away, but up close, every needling pixel pokes through. Because, in reality, it’s not a true photograph, but a clever arrangement of dots—an illusion—meant to convey a specific image. And likewise, Numskull’s Space Invaders is less an interactive, miniature world and more a static stage with graphical characters grafted, somewhat unnaturally, across. The ghosting effect works; the game is redeemably playable. But some of that intended immersion is gone.

So, yes, the cabinet does prevail where its Part 2 counterpart somewhat fails; though both are victims of the same “distance issue,” the sequel’s darker moon base backdrop is more detrimental to the proceedings, swallowing the invaders like a blob. At least Part 1 keeps the invaders bright and opaque, sustaining the overall playability.

But is “better” good enough to justify a $300 purchase?

I think so. This is a commendable engineering effort, even if the end result is inevitably undermined by the realities of miniaturization and the human eye. Imperfect, but still the closest any manufacturer is likely to reach—for this size and dimension, anyway.

But here’s one caveat: MyArcade, another company that specializes in interactive collectibles, has its own Space Invaders desktop machine that not only employs the ghosting effect, it does so surprisingly well. The exterior is less accurate (and much smaller) than Numskull’s mini behemoth, is shaped more like a cube, and trades the nice wooden frame for a plastic shell. But, dare I say, at just about 1/6 the price, it offers a slick alternative for those of a more budget-persuasion.

I’m not sure what the future holds for Numskull and its Quarter Arcade line, but it’s hard to imagine anything more complicated than what the company has attempted here with Space Invaders 1 and 2. If Numskull came this close with these complex contraptions, I have no worries about the other (simpler) machines the company might attempt.

Though the Space Invaders series might have been a fool’s errand for a company famous for its plushies and duckies, but at least the intention was noble. If anyone has $300 to spare, this Space Invaders machine is worth supporting.

But Part 2? Hate to say it, but one’s probably enough.--D

The Space Invaders unit fully powered on. It looks good, especially from the distance.

"Inserting" a coin.

The Pepper's Ghost Effect is observed, albeit vaguely, here. The graphics actually come from a screen facing upward from within the cabinet. An invisible mirror then reflects these moving images, manifesting the illusion of invaders traipsing across a (pre-printed) planetoid.

On camera, the illusion holds quite well. But in person, it's too obvious that the planetoid is simply a print plastered onto a transparent pane, the aliens being merely transposed on top. It's a respectable but imperfect meshing of digital imagery with physical constructs.

MyArcade has its own miniature. And, though inferior...it's not a bad alternative considering the significant price savings.

Both Numskull and MyArcade machines side-by-side. Big and expensive vs. small and cheap.

The Space Invaders box and cabinet.