An expanded game of Life of Pixel
Join Pixel as he quests through gaming history, teleporting across the most iconic video game systems of generations past. He’ll have to jump, dodge and play smart if he wants to survive all the traps, puzzles and enemies waiting to take him down at every turn.
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There are quite a few issues this game has, @AlexTheGerman put it really well. I will say though the level design is actually not bad and the visuals are pretty nice
Pros:
+ the visual style and feel are close to the original consoles
+ the infos on classic consoles are a sweet tribute
+ collectables are saved even when dying
Cons:
- having to play through levels in sequence is a huge design flaw
- the jump mechanics are difficult to get used to
- enemy movement is arbitrary
- collision detection is subpar
- retractable spikes in particular are tough to navigate
- the level design in later levels is highly confusing
- unfair situations are plentiful
- losing a heart early spells the immediate end of an attempt
- screen dimensions and doors are often not discernible
- no option to quit to the level select screen
Playtime: 1 hour, 23 of 116 levels completed.
Blagic Moment: Entering the level "Monster Palace" and getting stuck in an unfair situation only to find that it's entirely optional.
Verdict:
A weird little game with a fresh central idea of playing through the history of video games. However, the bare mechanics are not working well, the jumping is too tough to control, and the level design is frequently confusing.
I abandoned this quickly and do not recommend it.
+ the visual style and feel are close to the original consoles
+ the infos on classic consoles are a sweet tribute
+ collectables are saved even when dying
Cons:
- having to play through levels in sequence is a huge design flaw
- the jump mechanics are difficult to get used to
- enemy movement is arbitrary
- collision detection is subpar
- retractable spikes in particular are tough to navigate
- the level design in later levels is highly confusing
- unfair situations are plentiful
- losing a heart early spells the immediate end of an attempt
- screen dimensions and doors are often not discernible
- no option to quit to the level select screen
Playtime: 1 hour, 23 of 116 levels completed.
Blagic Moment: Entering the level "Monster Palace" and getting stuck in an unfair situation only to find that it's entirely optional.
Verdict:
A weird little game with a fresh central idea of playing through the history of video games. However, the bare mechanics are not working well, the jumping is too tough to control, and the level design is frequently confusing.
I abandoned this quickly and do not recommend it.
This is a bit of a weird one. At it's best, it is definitely a fun platformer albeit outside nothing particularly special outside of the art style. I really like the game's concept visual-wise, and I really liked the different system aesthetics this game had to offer. The controls work fine - nothing much to talk about there but about what I expect from an indie platformer of this calibur.
At it's worst though this game can be outright frustrating. I kind of feel like the game goes for a sort of "Super Meat Boy" vibe, but I feel like it worked better there since that game's levels were generally bite size. With this game, some of the levels - especially the unlockable ones - can feel longer than they need to be, and full of annoying NES-esque design tropes with leaps of faith, cheap enemy places and insta-death spikes and hazards. On top of that, there's no checkpoints and you only get two hit points - and if you get once by an enemy, the extra life pickups feel pretty sparse, and as mentioned this game's full of insta-death spikes, which can make replaying those later, longer levels more of a slog.
This isn't a bad game, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun with it, but I have trouble recommending it if you like this sort of challenge and/or just enjoy video game history. It can definitely range from being pretty fun to downright obnoxious with it's level design and lack of checkpoints and hit points.
Also there were a few consoles I could've unlocked but they required collectables I didn't really feel like going for, and since I played all of the "main" stages plus the SNES, Amiga and Apple II stages (which are unlockable just by playing everything up to the NES stages) I just decided to mark this one as completed lmao. Maybe at some point I'll have another go at them.
At it's worst though this game can be outright frustrating. I kind of feel like the game goes for a sort of "Super Meat Boy" vibe, but I feel like it worked better there since that game's levels were generally bite size. With this game, some of the levels - especially the unlockable ones - can feel longer than they need to be, and full of annoying NES-esque design tropes with leaps of faith, cheap enemy places and insta-death spikes and hazards. On top of that, there's no checkpoints and you only get two hit points - and if you get once by an enemy, the extra life pickups feel pretty sparse, and as mentioned this game's full of insta-death spikes, which can make replaying those later, longer levels more of a slog.
This isn't a bad game, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun with it, but I have trouble recommending it if you like this sort of challenge and/or just enjoy video game history. It can definitely range from being pretty fun to downright obnoxious with it's level design and lack of checkpoints and hit points.
Also there were a few consoles I could've unlocked but they required collectables I didn't really feel like going for, and since I played all of the "main" stages plus the SNES, Amiga and Apple II stages (which are unlockable just by playing everything up to the NES stages) I just decided to mark this one as completed lmao. Maybe at some point I'll have another go at them.
Super Life of Pixel is homage to the early years of home computers and consoles. Presented as a bare bones plat former, your own personal nostalgia for the medium will greatly dictate any enjoyment you may find with this title. You play as a cube called Pixel and starting off with early home computers you make your way through the years of advancements in both graphics and music. The strongest part of the game is seeing the quality and fidelity improve as you make your way from level to level waiting for your certain nostalgia to appear. Unfortunately once the novel presentation has worn off you end up repeating the same objective in every level. Collect what you need to meet the end requirement and find the exit. All this might have been OK if it were not for the lack of any checkpoints. This becomes especially egregious as the levels become longer and the chance of you making a mistake is almost a given. Hunting around endlessly for some non descriptive collectibles while avoiding countless one hit kills is somewhat negated by some descent controls and clever variation in game play mechanics. Super Life of Pixel is a love letter to a simpler time in games, I just which it had tried to be a little more ambitious with its content.