more interesting than bastion but it got old after a while, too much text for a story i didnt care about and even the gameplay lost me during the middle of the game.
Beautifully crafted with great attention to detail, and well written. And the gameplay is an interesting and engaging variation of a sports game.
This review contains spoilers
Probably my second favorite Supergiant game right now, after Hades, but ahead of Bastion. This isn't saying too much, since I've only played like, 5 minutes of Transistor.
A pared down basketball-adjacent sports RPG is a really interesting choice. Each character plays different and learning their idosyncracies is key to ... Not progressing, but doing... Not well... but... Winning I guess?
The game doesn't stop on a loss, the narrative keeps rolling, and it all effects the ending. Well almost all, I don't know if losing a random match before the Liberation Rite does anything, but losing that one can affect the ending.
And BOY This game be doing a lot on the ending front. In Supergiant fashion, all the joy and happiness and liberation is also tinged with a heaping dose of bittersweet feelings. It carries this feeling of hope and dread throughout. It's really quite incredible. This might be one that grows on me as I sit with it.
Also in Supergiant Fashion, the credits sequence is ambitious just in it's... Modularity I guess? Each character gets a short verse, and it refers to if they were freed or not, including yourself. That's 18 different chunks that get used to mix and match to make a closing credits song that matches YOUR specific playthrough.
It can start slow, but man, it feels worth the effort.
A pared down basketball-adjacent sports RPG is a really interesting choice. Each character plays different and learning their idosyncracies is key to ... Not progressing, but doing... Not well... but... Winning I guess?
The game doesn't stop on a loss, the narrative keeps rolling, and it all effects the ending. Well almost all, I don't know if losing a random match before the Liberation Rite does anything, but losing that one can affect the ending.
And BOY This game be doing a lot on the ending front. In Supergiant fashion, all the joy and happiness and liberation is also tinged with a heaping dose of bittersweet feelings. It carries this feeling of hope and dread throughout. It's really quite incredible. This might be one that grows on me as I sit with it.
Also in Supergiant Fashion, the credits sequence is ambitious just in it's... Modularity I guess? Each character gets a short verse, and it refers to if they were freed or not, including yourself. That's 18 different chunks that get used to mix and match to make a closing credits song that matches YOUR specific playthrough.
It can start slow, but man, it feels worth the effort.
Pyre is an overall very good game I just found myself unable to strongly connect with. Like all Supergiant Games this had fantastic art and music 100%. Unfortunately I found myself not very being in trailed by the narrative being told here. I like all the characters but outside of a couple, it never became more than a “oh they are nice”. The main native of escaping exile just never made me interested, it's not awful but I never felt any reason to feel like going back was given outside of some of the characters having family they missed. The gameplay also just was not my cup of tea, its a basic format that is not bad per say it just got relative at least in my opinion. My final gripe is a super personal one, I hit so many bugs playing this game I feel my copy must have been cursed or something. The bugs only crashed the game once though so that's nice. Still as negative as I am, I think like all Supergiant Games there is a charm here, and I am glad to have at least checked it out. There are some themes here I liked and honestly I see how some things here were big inspirations when later making Hades. Definitely worth a buy still, especially since your mileage may vary.
Weird game. I really like the setting supergiant has created, but it really doesn't do a lot with it. I feel like this is because the actual game itself isn't really exhilarating. It's a cool idea, but 2D fantasy basketball gets pretty stale after the 5th match. I wish this game just had an entirely different game mechanic because I felt like the world that was created and had obviously so much love poured into it was wasted on the core gameplay that's fun as a commodity at best lol.
Pour moi LE jeu de SuperGiant Games, un jeu de sport/aventure, avec une DA toujours aussi quali, une OST de malade et une bonne dose de difficulté pour le perfect !
This is Supergiant Games' magnum opus. A masterful blend of narrative and gameplay which destroyed me emotionally on multiple occasions, and was the only game to ever make me tremble so much I couldn't hold my controller.
Mere distance cannot separate our spirits.
Mere distance cannot separate our spirits.
Pyre is a game that seems inspirational for those who feel like a wanderer, cast out, and interested in sports. But the themes and setting just didn't resonate with me. A desolate desert of distress, writing that keeps dialogue dense to drip-feed the characters and plot, and a combative basketball that culled my concern.
Again, probably a marvelous game, for others. But I like lush environments, boisterous characters, and decisions that quickly lead to the game's denouement.
Again, probably a marvelous game, for others. But I like lush environments, boisterous characters, and decisions that quickly lead to the game's denouement.
Supergiant doesn't miss. Fantastic art, world building, and music ect. Maybe just barely my least favorite of theirs but obviously with Pyre being a 4.5 that's less an indictment on Pyre and more a praise to the rest of their catalog. I do think it's impressive how they keep, what essentially is the same progression loop the whole game, fresh the whole time. Always at the perfect time, a new character, a new mechanic, a new little twist to keep it fresh and engaging. It really continuously reveals itself to be immaculately paced the deeper you get into it. Choosing who to liberate from your party is also brilliantly done both mechanically and narratively, the balance of wanting to liberate characters you like vs trying not to liberate characters your best in combat with. The conversation of Supergiant being a premium studio in the industry is way long overdue.
Even though I think the presentation of Pyre is on par with other Supergiant titles, it did not satisfy in the gameplay department. The formula just isn't interesting to me unless I am playing against real people, because it very much resembles a competitive sport to me. The enemies constantly show NPC-like behaviour in Pyre matches of the main story, and it distracts me from enjoying the game.
The music and artstyle are beautiful and charming, however. So, in that respect, I still think it is a great game.
The music and artstyle are beautiful and charming, however. So, in that respect, I still think it is a great game.
a bit weird but I might like big goat ladies now
Supergiant Games I feel is one f those studio that never misses.
Every single one of its titles has been a project that, even if small, feels like a giant love letter, with effort put beyond comprehension in any single aspect.
Pyre is ofter considered their weaker work, mostly because of it's premise: you gotta help a bunch of lost travelers, and they way you help them is.... by playing a basketball ritual?
It's a weird idea, that many people may found too funky... but the way it is presented and the role it plays into the story makes me adore this title.
The fac that you as the "director" of the group get to decide where to go in the realm, and every decisoon may inpact the way the different characters grow and play, also leads to every "match" to be important, as a single loss and mistake can lead to huge consequences.
Even with the ability of "retry" to reach the best possible endings the game offers... you still have a weight to your choices, and you gotta make some hard decisions that will make you think even after the game is over.
It is a truly unique experience, full of amazing haracters, amazing music and a interesting gameplay loop.
My second favorite Supergiant game, and definitely the best basketball game I have ever played!
Every single one of its titles has been a project that, even if small, feels like a giant love letter, with effort put beyond comprehension in any single aspect.
Pyre is ofter considered their weaker work, mostly because of it's premise: you gotta help a bunch of lost travelers, and they way you help them is.... by playing a basketball ritual?
It's a weird idea, that many people may found too funky... but the way it is presented and the role it plays into the story makes me adore this title.
The fac that you as the "director" of the group get to decide where to go in the realm, and every decisoon may inpact the way the different characters grow and play, also leads to every "match" to be important, as a single loss and mistake can lead to huge consequences.
Even with the ability of "retry" to reach the best possible endings the game offers... you still have a weight to your choices, and you gotta make some hard decisions that will make you think even after the game is over.
It is a truly unique experience, full of amazing haracters, amazing music and a interesting gameplay loop.
My second favorite Supergiant game, and definitely the best basketball game I have ever played!
Mi reacción honesta: https://youtu.be/yj9_bOrCXmY?si=tH5nr6N30IRnwh77
The idea of Pyre is really compelling to me, and I expected to really love this game. Ultimately, it bores me, but I can still see how it's good and would recommend it to others.
The basis that is a story that adapts to the failure and success of the player is great! The mixture of gameplay and visual novel for this is a perfect, and it gives a real sense of stakes and weight to each round you play, and it's very compelling to see the consequences of your failure play into the actual story.
That's where, for me, things fell flat though. I didn't finish it, and didn't want to finish it, because the story mostly just bored me. There's a lot of worldbuilding and it clearly ties into a cohesive story that relates to the characters you meet along the way, but it just never grabbed me.
Additionally, I think I might be one of the few people out there who doesn't really like Supergiant's visual style. Again, nothing objectively wrong with, it's clearly beautiful work and great art direction, just not a direction that I like.
Pyre is a good game, that on all accounts should be perfectly suited to my tastes, but ultimately just isn't.
The basis that is a story that adapts to the failure and success of the player is great! The mixture of gameplay and visual novel for this is a perfect, and it gives a real sense of stakes and weight to each round you play, and it's very compelling to see the consequences of your failure play into the actual story.
That's where, for me, things fell flat though. I didn't finish it, and didn't want to finish it, because the story mostly just bored me. There's a lot of worldbuilding and it clearly ties into a cohesive story that relates to the characters you meet along the way, but it just never grabbed me.
Additionally, I think I might be one of the few people out there who doesn't really like Supergiant's visual style. Again, nothing objectively wrong with, it's clearly beautiful work and great art direction, just not a direction that I like.
Pyre is a good game, that on all accounts should be perfectly suited to my tastes, but ultimately just isn't.
Easily Supergiant's best.
A large cast of complex characters that you are ludonarratively invested in. A truly beautiful story with a fantastic ending. Superb soundtrack, gorgeous art, rich worldbuilding.
Criminally underrated.
A large cast of complex characters that you are ludonarratively invested in. A truly beautiful story with a fantastic ending. Superb soundtrack, gorgeous art, rich worldbuilding.
Criminally underrated.
Beautiful game, but did not get hooked by the story. Gameplay fun, but framing it as a sport made it somehow less enjoyable for me. Soundtrack great as usual. Rare miss for me from Supergiant.
PLAY THIS GAME OR U AINT BALLIN
PYRE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SPORTS GAMES OF ALL TIME
(HEBI CERTIFIED 10 OUT OF 5)
I was recently having a discussion with some friends about something I call "Genre Lock". I use the term to describe the ways in which so many video game genres have become "locked" into a set of standards and expectations.
Shooters are dominated by historical or contemporary realworld warfare (Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc.). Splatoon is a wonderfully novel foil that adds depth to the genre. Racing games are largely dominated by realism as well (Forza, Need for Speed, etc.). The obvious foil is Mario Kart, although I do long for something that strives to be even more unique--at least in terms of setting and/or mechanics. There's a reason Wave Race 64 and the old Star Wars Podracing games are still looked fondly upon. Fighting games mostly remain 2D button reaction, combination memory affairs. Smash Bros. may seem like a watered down version of this, but it at least contributes something a bit more...well...fun and accessible. And gone are the days of exploring what sports games CAN be (NBA Streets Vol. 2 is still a banger). Most games nowadays are realistic simulator franchises like Madden, 2K, MLB The Show, and so forth.
Which brings us to Pyre. And I really commend Supergiant on being, once again, one of the industries best studios in terms of quality, artistic vision, and thoughtful game design.
Pyre is SOMEHOW a sports game. A very well-crafted one at that. The recipe for a fantastic sports series is all there. Rival teams with varied and memorable captains; high stakes for winning (literally achieving salvation from purgatory); a colorful band of misfits joining together to be the champions; and of course, PUTTING A BALL IN A THING.
But the team at Supergiant weren't just content with creating their own sport. Pyre is also a choose-your-own-adventure with an exceptionally compelling narrative. And my goodness, they give you a generous amount of choice which I haven't even seen in games whose main marketing revolves around choice-based gameplay (TellTale, Bioware, Don'tNod and more). The scale of these choices is both grand and fun. You can name one of your fellow comrades in ball-throwing (something that carries through the rest of the game), and then shortly after painfully decide who among your team will get to achieve salvation. The stakes are so high I was absolutely paralyzed with emotions contrasting practical thinking a number of times. It's seriously one of those "you gotta play it to see" type of experiences. In this way it reminds me the massively slept on Banner Saga (shout outs Alex Thomas--I've had some brief interactions with him and he is really honed in on his craft in a way many video game writers aren't). I will see for certain in further playthroughs, but the number of varied outcomes you can have for the world state and each individual character (friends and enemies alike) is unbelievable.
And the foundation of these choices, the main plot, is also compelling and full of intrigue that kept me leaning in. It was genuinely hard to put the game down. And not just because of the story, but because Supergiant just has such a clever design philosophy when it comes to pacing. The gameplay loop of "decision, mini decision, sports match, story outcome" is addictive in the best way.
And of course, I would be remiss not the mention the ever-brilliant art and character designs by Jen Zee. My goodness is this game gorgeous. She's certainly at the top of her field when it comes to creative art direction.
My only criticisms are that the shop isn't all that useful as you get most of your best items from doing training missions with each of your team mates. That the cursed stars which add extra difficulty but add XP rewards could've used some re-balancing (the bonuses vs. cost for a few seemed far too one-sided to want to engage with, even though I did try to use as many as I could). And that the AI in harder difficulties have such quick reaction times that it can be slightly frustrating. Although this is definitely gold standard stuff when it comes to difficulty (no extra HP, just more sophisticated AI).
Pyre is genuinely one of the best sports games out there. And it's certainly one of the best experiences I've had recent memory. The combination of generous and meaningful choices, a compelling narrative, well-crafted gameplay, stunningly beautiful art design, and well-paced progression make this a must play as much as Hades in my opinion.
It's a little sad it seems like it flew under the radar in comparison to the rest of their catalogue. But if you ask me, Pyre is perhaps the game most deserving of receiving absolution from the Scribes.
(HEBI CERTIFIED 10 OUT OF 5)
I was recently having a discussion with some friends about something I call "Genre Lock". I use the term to describe the ways in which so many video game genres have become "locked" into a set of standards and expectations.
Shooters are dominated by historical or contemporary realworld warfare (Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc.). Splatoon is a wonderfully novel foil that adds depth to the genre. Racing games are largely dominated by realism as well (Forza, Need for Speed, etc.). The obvious foil is Mario Kart, although I do long for something that strives to be even more unique--at least in terms of setting and/or mechanics. There's a reason Wave Race 64 and the old Star Wars Podracing games are still looked fondly upon. Fighting games mostly remain 2D button reaction, combination memory affairs. Smash Bros. may seem like a watered down version of this, but it at least contributes something a bit more...well...fun and accessible. And gone are the days of exploring what sports games CAN be (NBA Streets Vol. 2 is still a banger). Most games nowadays are realistic simulator franchises like Madden, 2K, MLB The Show, and so forth.
Which brings us to Pyre. And I really commend Supergiant on being, once again, one of the industries best studios in terms of quality, artistic vision, and thoughtful game design.
Pyre is SOMEHOW a sports game. A very well-crafted one at that. The recipe for a fantastic sports series is all there. Rival teams with varied and memorable captains; high stakes for winning (literally achieving salvation from purgatory); a colorful band of misfits joining together to be the champions; and of course, PUTTING A BALL IN A THING.
But the team at Supergiant weren't just content with creating their own sport. Pyre is also a choose-your-own-adventure with an exceptionally compelling narrative. And my goodness, they give you a generous amount of choice which I haven't even seen in games whose main marketing revolves around choice-based gameplay (TellTale, Bioware, Don'tNod and more). The scale of these choices is both grand and fun. You can name one of your fellow comrades in ball-throwing (something that carries through the rest of the game), and then shortly after painfully decide who among your team will get to achieve salvation. The stakes are so high I was absolutely paralyzed with emotions contrasting practical thinking a number of times. It's seriously one of those "you gotta play it to see" type of experiences. In this way it reminds me the massively slept on Banner Saga (shout outs Alex Thomas--I've had some brief interactions with him and he is really honed in on his craft in a way many video game writers aren't). I will see for certain in further playthroughs, but the number of varied outcomes you can have for the world state and each individual character (friends and enemies alike) is unbelievable.
And the foundation of these choices, the main plot, is also compelling and full of intrigue that kept me leaning in. It was genuinely hard to put the game down. And not just because of the story, but because Supergiant just has such a clever design philosophy when it comes to pacing. The gameplay loop of "decision, mini decision, sports match, story outcome" is addictive in the best way.
And of course, I would be remiss not the mention the ever-brilliant art and character designs by Jen Zee. My goodness is this game gorgeous. She's certainly at the top of her field when it comes to creative art direction.
My only criticisms are that the shop isn't all that useful as you get most of your best items from doing training missions with each of your team mates. That the cursed stars which add extra difficulty but add XP rewards could've used some re-balancing (the bonuses vs. cost for a few seemed far too one-sided to want to engage with, even though I did try to use as many as I could). And that the AI in harder difficulties have such quick reaction times that it can be slightly frustrating. Although this is definitely gold standard stuff when it comes to difficulty (no extra HP, just more sophisticated AI).
Pyre is genuinely one of the best sports games out there. And it's certainly one of the best experiences I've had recent memory. The combination of generous and meaningful choices, a compelling narrative, well-crafted gameplay, stunningly beautiful art design, and well-paced progression make this a must play as much as Hades in my opinion.
It's a little sad it seems like it flew under the radar in comparison to the rest of their catalogue. But if you ask me, Pyre is perhaps the game most deserving of receiving absolution from the Scribes.
"Oregon Trail meets NBA Jam"
Flawed but enjoyable. Execution is its weakness more than anything else, the idea of losing your units at the end of a run is very interesting but the reality is you run two units you like the whole time to sac a third. Great characters and world, plus I'm one of the few who likes the sports gameplay.
A pretty repetitive loop that gets carried by the excellent, as always, world building,art style and music. A really interesting story with deep themes and supreme lore. You can see the threads and bones of what would become Hades in this game with similar sound bites and portrait style.
Really wish all of this was attached to less repetitive gameplay.
Really wish all of this was attached to less repetitive gameplay.
It's a strange mix of visual novel and magical soccer. It's not bad, but it's too difficult to understand the core mechanics of the soccer game. The slow characters were so useless to me, the faster ones are better, this meant that I opted to release the slow ones in pursuit of better performance on the field. My favorite and most overpowered character is the Harpy Lady.
It seems like Supergiant Games has a knack for creating a visual style and world building which hooks me in, but does not deliver any sort of gameplay that brings me enjoyment. It was not clear to me that this was the same company behind Transistor and Bastion when I bought Pyre, but had I known I probably would have avoided this game altogether.
Furbo pero con historia y furros. Está bien. Tal vez un infravalorado de los juegos de Supergiant.
Honestly the only reason I can't put a 5 on this is that I remember the story being a bit too simple on the political side sometimes.
Like they're too afraid to take a clear stance sometimes.
Like they're too afraid to take a clear stance sometimes.
Easily the most ambitious of Supergiant's games, there is a lot to love and respect. Clever "combat" design, a diverse soundtrack, and a large cast of interesting characters lend this story of leadership, responsibility, and hope so much heart.
The one thing holding this back from being a slam-dunk for me is its pacing. I could never get into a flow state with this one like I could with Transistor or Hades. Whether that had to do with its uneven story structure or my unfamiliarity with Oregon Trail style games is something I have to figure out.
In any case, this is still a fantastic outing from Supergiant, and I hope they continue making heartfelt games like these into the future.
The one thing holding this back from being a slam-dunk for me is its pacing. I could never get into a flow state with this one like I could with Transistor or Hades. Whether that had to do with its uneven story structure or my unfamiliarity with Oregon Trail style games is something I have to figure out.
In any case, this is still a fantastic outing from Supergiant, and I hope they continue making heartfelt games like these into the future.
On the eve of Hades II Early Access coming out, finished up the last Supergiant game I have yet to play.
A beautiful and ambitious story, and one I'd want to keep coming back to to explore all its branching narratives. The ending epilogues don't do all the decisions justice.
This is probably the closest I've gotten to a visual novel in a while, and although I continued to find it difficult to get into the rhythm of switching between the dynamic storytelling and the intense gameplay, I still enjoyed it. On that note, I'd find myself jumping into a practice round before proceeding with whichever Rite I was up to.
This game and Transistor, seen as the lesser games compared to Hades and Bastion, continue to cement Supergiant as one of my favorite developers with their commitment to rich worldbuilding intertwined with the music and gameplay. I see the incompatibility in that gameplay/narrative pairing the most in Pyre, but for them to succeed even in that is a testament to their creative vision.
Continuing to replay to try for that Hard Mode, getting better at the game as well as exploring the narrative branches.
A beautiful and ambitious story, and one I'd want to keep coming back to to explore all its branching narratives. The ending epilogues don't do all the decisions justice.
This is probably the closest I've gotten to a visual novel in a while, and although I continued to find it difficult to get into the rhythm of switching between the dynamic storytelling and the intense gameplay, I still enjoyed it. On that note, I'd find myself jumping into a practice round before proceeding with whichever Rite I was up to.
This game and Transistor, seen as the lesser games compared to Hades and Bastion, continue to cement Supergiant as one of my favorite developers with their commitment to rich worldbuilding intertwined with the music and gameplay. I see the incompatibility in that gameplay/narrative pairing the most in Pyre, but for them to succeed even in that is a testament to their creative vision.
Continuing to replay to try for that Hard Mode, getting better at the game as well as exploring the narrative branches.
Woah I love sports games now (I already did).
I liked the game, and I think the way it handles failure is great. My main complaint is that it felt like a game that if I ever put it down, I was in danger of never being able to pick it back up. Which was what happened, tragically.
I kinda started losing interest towards the end but the game is so polished (like every Super Giant game) and the concept is so cool.