9.2/10 – 13 hours
Review as written on 4/23/23
A scrimblo bimblo’s dream. “HOLY SHIT!!!”
Within the pantheon of indie games, Pizza Tower sits comfortably as the pinnacle of the indie world. There is so much love, care, and thought packed into this crazy adventure; every minute was unforgettable. The gameplay loop with its homages to Wario Land paired with the Ed Edd n Eddy style 90s vibes adds endless charm to the animations and even serve to enhance the gameplay. The standout among this is the parrying, which is hidden behind the taunt button, turning a silly little nod into an essential part of combat. The movement overall feels top notch: Peppino can translate motion into different directions quickly while simultaneously pulverizing enemies, moving in a way Sonic could only dream of doing.
The goofiness also manifests in the form of a myriad of unique power ups, breathing life into every level. Hot dog steeds, Hardass pose shotguns, Mort the Goddamn Chicken, every level has an aspect that makes it special. There were next to no stinkers, (except for War, extra time boxes were way too sparse). I also absolutely adored the FNAF inspired level.
To top it off, all the bosses were extremely clever and thought provoking in their approach while maintaining charm and goofiness. My favorite was the mimic Peppino, which felt the most rewarding upon memorizing all the phases then blasting through a spooky chase section. The final encounter boss rush was also amazing (though i don’t care for the pokey fork enemies during the Pizza face fight)
My biggest gripe with the game lies with its handling of speed. Though I do love how it blends with combat better than any other platformer, it also allows for much imprecision. When you move as fast as Peppino does, it’s extremely easy to lose focus on the environment and its hazards, which are blended too well into the environment, and you can therefore miss secrets, struggle to turn around, repeatedly smack into walls, or take unnecessary damage. This especially dampened my experience during the Pizza Time sections, where time was very much of the essence.
In the end, this is an amazingly solid experience with some of the most charm I’ve ever seen in a piece of media and fluid gameplay that kept me hooked for hours. Bravo Tour De Pizza.
I’m tempted to go back and reach for high scores on some of those bosses 👀
Leave a Reply