Downtown Montreal Has A New Anime Arcade & It's A Plushie Paradise

Claw machines seem to be all the rage right now and Montreal is home to a massive game station that serves as a plushie paradise.

Claw Sur'Prize first opened its doors to the public in early January, offering tons of anime-inspired claw machine arcade games and loads of prizes to win.

Located on rue Sainte-Catherine O., between Drummond and Peel, Claw Sur'Prize occupies the former m0851 retail store in Downtown Montreal, a space that now hosts dozens of claw machines and arcade games for Montrealers of all ages to enjoy.

I decided to finally give it a try to see if it's well worth the visit or if it's just another rigged arcade.

Turns out, it's the real deal.

The exterior of the Montreal arcade is decked out in anime-themed characters and bright colours that immediately grab your attention. When you walk in, you're met with a series of photo-op stations with life-sized anime figures. Visitors can take photos with a Dragon Ball Z and Doraemon backdrop, as well as check out an area with inflatable flowers.

Now, for the actual arcade game part of the experience.

Visitors can go to the front desk and purchase a coin bundle to play the claw machine games. I spent roughly $20 for a total of 24 coins, which provided me with a handful of attempts at different gaming stations.

My 24 coins lasted about 45 minutes. However, you can easily lose track of time and spend an entire day playing each and every game, especially if you're with a group of friends or on a date.

While I didn't actually win anything myself, considering I have zero hand-eye coordination, I did bear witness to loads of others winning plushies from some of my favourite TV shows.

The plushie prizes are comprised of anime stars including Hello Kitty, every Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon character you can think of, and tons of other kawaii items — all of which can be kept or exchanged for a prize of your choosing.

Claw Sur'Prize is open Monday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.