Your childhood is coming back for you, but it may look a different from what you remember. The toy industry has done a bit of a refresh on some of its most iconic items, giving them all a 21st-century spin. From the new Cabbage Patch Kid to the Mattel ThingMaker, these aren’t the toys you played with as a tot — not completely at least. And now, Hasbro has unveiled yet another updated version of one of its most popular games — Simon. Meet the Simon Air, the touch-free version of the classic game that is now selling for just $20.
The memory game that doubled as an “instrument” (fine, that’s a bit of a stretch), the original version of Simon was released in 1978, and instantly reached classic status. As such, it remained untouched for over three decades, entertaining generations of kids with its simple challenge — remembering the pattern.
But then, Simon Swipe was released, trading the button pushing for swiping (a là smartphone usage). And now, you don’t even have to touch Simon anymore to play — you just pass your hands over the colored arches.
For more complex gameplay, you can “swoop” across arches, activating many lights at once in order to keep up with the fast-paced tempo of the game. And now, Simon accommodates teamwork and collaborative play, which represents a distinct departure from its previous solo design.
While the game doesn’t look like it did in the 70’s and 80’s, it still features the same familiar colors. The vertical design (yes, it stands up and does require a stable surface for best game-play) still sports red, green, and yellow sensors on the top, right, and left sides, respectively, and the blue sensor is placed at the bottom.
You can play in three game modes — classic, for the most nostalgic of Simon players; solo, which includes some swoops and other fancy moves; and finally, two-player, where you can challenge a friend or family member to a memory match.
It’s not available quite yet, but when Simon Air hits stores in the fall, this may be $20 you’ll want to spend.
