Arcade Mania

"Just shake the meat, to the beat!"

"Arcade Mania" is the 11th episode of the first season of Steven Universe, and the 11th episode overall.

Synopsis
Steven takes the Crystal Gems to Funland Arcade, where Garnet learns the allure of video games.

Plot
The episode begins with the Crystal Gems walking along an underground cave cliff ledge in search of the Gem Cave Creature. The mission requires stealth, but Steven's coat is making a loud "swishing" sound, much to Pearl's annoyance. She lectures Steven about wearing the noisy coat during a stealth mission. Steven tries to explain that he is wearing the coat to avoid catching a cold, but Pearl points out that he is still wearing sandals. Steven tries to avoid making any further noise, but Amethyst mimics the sound of the coat's "swishing", leading Pearl to berate him again. Before Steven has a chance to explain, he falls from the edge of the cliff, although Garnet is there to catch him at the bottom. As she puts him down, the Gem creature suddenly attacks them. Garnet is able to defeat the creature and collect its core, but she allows the drill parasites to escape.

To celebrate their victory, Steven takes them to the Funland Arcade, much to the other Gems' dismay. As Pearl struggles to come up with excuses not to go, Amethyst points out that they don't have any money. In response, Steven opens his coat to reveal pockets full of quarters. He then pairs each Gem to an arcade game. He attempts to get Pearl to play to racing game "Road Killer", but is unsuccessful because she does not understand the objective and is a cautious driver. He then successfully coaxes Amethyst into playing skee ball, although she starts to cheat upon learning that the tickets earned from the game are exchangeable for prizes. Steven has the most difficulty with Garnet, who breaks two fighting games in misunderstanding their concepts. However, she becomes entranced after Steven introduces her to the rhythm game, "Meat Beat Mania", to point that she doesn't hear Steven when he collects the other Gems to leave after Mr. Smiley discovers the broken games.

The following morning, Steven is out on the beach looking for quarters with his metal detector when the drill parasites ambush him. He cries for help, causing Pearl and Amethyst to step in to aid him. Regardless of their individual strengths in battle, they are still ineffective without Garnet's guidance, and are forced into retreat. While running across the pier, Steven realizes their need for Garnet and rushes back to the arcade, leaving Amethyst and Pearl to fend off and hold the parasites on their own. Inside the arcade, Steven finds that Garnet is still playing Meat Beat Mania reaching levels he has seen no other reach before. He tries to get her attention and alert her to the danger outside, but she does not seem to be listening. He climbs on top of her and tries to snap her out of her trance. In his haste, he removes Garnet's shades, revealing not only her third eye, but its hyper-focus on keeping up with the games' rhythm.

Steven tries to beat Garnet at the game in hopes that she will snap out of it, but he ends up losing each time. After running out of quarters, he then attempts to unplug the game, but to his dismay, Garnet uses her powers, specifically her electrokinesis, to allow her to continue to play the game. In his frustration, Steven rips the game's control panel out of its stand and smashes the games' screen with it, ultimately releasing the games' hold over Garnet. Garnet thanks Steven and joins Amethyst and Pearl, turning the tide of the previously futile battle. As Steven attempts to leave the arcade, he is caught by an infuriated Mr. Smiley, who believes Steven was the cause of the destroyed games. Steven is then forced to work off the cost of the damaged games while the other Gems fight the drill parasites. He steals glances at the Gems and briefly cheers them on before Mr. Smiley silently tells him to resume work, at which point the episode ends.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Garnet
 * Pearl
 * Amethyst
 * Sour Cream (cameo)
 * Onion
 * Mr. Smiley
 * Gem Cave Creature
 * Drill Parasites

Objects

 * Road Killer
 * Teens of Rage
 * Meat Beat Mania
 * Punch Buddy
 * Skee Ball
 * Coins
 * Onion's Moped (debut)
 * Metal Mutt
 * Turbo Race (debut)

Locations

 * Gem Cave Creature's Lair
 * Beach City
 * Crystal Temple
 * Beach House
 * Funland Arcade

Song

 * N/A

Instrumental Songs

 * "Funland Arcade"
 * "Road Killer"
 * "Teens of Rage"
 * "Meat Beat Mania: Over Easy"
 * "Meat Beat Mania: FLAMBÉE!"

Trivia

 * Pearl knows how to drive, despite not owning a vehicle or needing one.
 * This is later shown in "Ocean Gem", where she drives Greg's van.

Cultural References

 * Funland Arcade has the same name as the arcade in The Amazing World of Gumball.
 * Meat Beat Mania is a parody of the classic SEGA arcade game, Samba de Amigo.
 * Teens of Rage is a tribute to the Sega Genesis game, Streets of Rage.
 * Right before Teens of Rage ' s title pops up, a brief frame is seen displaying the Department of Justice's emblem with the phrase, "WINNERS DON'T USE DRUGS."
 * This directly references the anti-drug campaign that was used in arcade machines in North America from 1989 to 2000.
 * Meat Beat Mania is made by a company called Carpcom, which is a parody of the real game company called Capcom.
 * Road Killer may be a parody of another classic Sega game, Crazy Taxi.
 * Its BGM seems to be based onF-Zero ' s "Mute City" theme.

Continuity

 * This was the first time Garnet was seen without her shades.
 * Garnet's heterochromia alludes to the fact that she is a fusion.
 * This is the first episode with allusions to Garnet's precognitive abilities, which are explored in depth in "Future Vision".
 * Steven mentions fighting a giant foot, and in "The Return", the Crystal Gems had to fight the Gem Warship, which has the shape of a giant hand.
 * Pearl physically drives a car in "Ocean Gem".
 * This episode shows Onion winning a moped at the ticket counter, impressing Steven. It is later revealed that Onion gets tickets by opening the machines, as seen in "So Many Birthdays" and "Onion Trade".

Errors

 * At first, Steven's jacket pockets are revealed to be full of coins, but when Steven was battling Garnet in a game of Meat Beat Mania, he only had a few coins left, although the Gems did not use many coins.
 * When Pearl is asking Garnet if they have anything better to do, her eye briefly is open and closed.
 * When Pearl is spinning her weapon at the temple, it briefly goes through her hair.
 * When the numbers of Meat Beat Mania get closer to zero, the change of scene they begin again from ten.
 * At the end of the episode, the drumstick controllers disappear after Steven destroys the Meat Beat Mania game.
 * In one part, Sapphire's gemstone facet is on both of Garnet's gems.
 * When Pearl was stating that Garnet was not fighting a giant foot, the door leading to Steven's bathroom disappears.

Videos
Maniáticos del Juego Arcade Mania