The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s Review!

“Help Adam, Barry, and Erica Goldberg get to the top of their school’s “Cool List” and become the most popular kids in town!

Based on the hit comedy TV show, The Goldbergs is an idle game where you build your popularity by managing the social life of a teenager in the 80s.

Tap to collect Cool Points, get Friends, and become totally popular! Upgrade your hangouts to get cool quickly and become the top of the teenage food chain in Jenkintown!

As the true king or queen of the social ladder, you’ll collect characters straight from the TV show to help generate coolness and open new hangouts. Get new characters by collecting cards, then level them up by collecting VHS tapes, arcade tokens, and sunglasses!

Coolness is key to completing the popularity challenges and climbing the Cool List! But don’t get too comfortable at the top – your beloved “smother” Beverly is always trying to “help” and one wrong step will get your embarrassed by your parents. You’ll go from ruling the mall to hiding out in the computer lab faster than you can say “gag me with a spoon”!

Tap your way through boss fights against Beverly, Murray, and even Coach Mellor. As hard as you try to be cool, you’ll lose it all at the end of each episode. But don’t have a cow, you’ll be rewarded with some choice 80s nostalgia to decorate your bedroom!”

iOS Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-goldbergs-back-to-the-80s/id1479487519

Android Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eastsidegames.thegoldbergs&hl=en_GB

Company: Eastside Games

Genre: Simulation

Rated: 4+

Offers in-app Purchases

Gameplay

If you’re a fan of The Goldbergs TV series, this might just be the game for you. Help Barry, Adam, and Erica Goldberg earn their way to the top of the cool list and become the most popular kids in town! They’re fed up and need to collect cool points upgrading hangouts and making friends.

The gameplay reminds me of Cookie Clicker which I was absolutely obsessed with 6 years ago so it’s nice to have a game on mobile that’s similar. However, I did find myself getting bored within 5 minutes. The game doesn’t really have any substance to it and the only satisfying moment is when you move up on the cool list (if you do)!

Graphics

I think what drew me to The Goldbergs was the cartoony graphics. They stand out brilliantly and the facial expressions from the characters are great. I can’t fault them as I think they represent the TV show pretty well.

Music & Sounds

It seems as if the instrumental of The Goldberg’s theme song is playing in the background of the game which is a nice touch. However, the characters don’t have voice actors but I guess they would’ve had to stretch the budget for that.

Controls

Like a lot of games of this genre, you just need to click quickly tap in order to earn tapes. If you’re feeling lazy, you can set it to auto, but I honestly don’t see the fun in that.

The Power of in-app Purchases

Tapes

Use tapes to upgrade characters and hangouts.

250 tapes for 50 diamonds
1000 tapes for 180 diamonds
3000 tapes for 500 diamonds

Diamonds

20 diamonds for £1.99
60 diamonds for £4.99
130 diamonds for £9.99
280 diamonds for £19.99
750 diamonds for £48.99
1600 diamonds for £99.99

The Verdict

The Goldbergs wasn’t a terrible game, but I just didn’t enjoy the waiting around and the constant tapping. I think it would be a lot more fun if it was in the style of Episode or Choices. However, if you’re a fan of The Goldberg’s TV series, you might become addicted!

If you decide to download The Goldbergs, let us know what you think and if you agree or disagree with the things we said. Happy gaming and stay casual!

The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s Overall Rating: 3/5