The most recent hit from the indie game scene, Pizza Tower, has finally been released after years of development, going from a small WarioLand 4 clone to a full-fledged master class in 2D Game Design, incorporating some of the best aspects of various 2D platformers, ranging from the fast-paced movement a la Sonic The Hedgehog to satisfying level design full of hidden treasures like the WarioLand series. The gameplay, in tandem with the art style, makes the game seem like something straight out of a ‘90s Nick-Toon, full of slapstick humor and zany characters, all of which carry their own unique design and personality.
Gameplay:
Pizza Tower’s gameplay is as polished and distinct as its art style, taking heavy inspiration from Nintendo’s Wario-Land Series. In this fast-paced 2D Platformer Collect-a-thon, you play as a struggling chef, named Peppino Spaghetti, who is trying to save his pizzeria from an evil flying pizza, but he resides at the top of a tower, which can only be progressed through if Peppino has collected enough toppings from each uniquely themed level to fight the boss, who then grants access to the next floor. Despite being utterly ridiculous, the story opens up many possibilities for gameplay, with each level containing a new gimmick, unlike anything seen before, all while controlling like a dream.
To delve into the specifics of the controls, I’ll start with Peppino’s basic move-set. The basic movement (Walking, Jumping, Leap Attack, etc.) feels very responsive, and can easily link to one another. If a passage requires you to Jump, Leap Attack, and Crawl, doing all one after another becomes almost instinct. The only issue, however, is that the game rarely requires you to use Peppino’s basic move-set, because if you really want to get a good score, you have to go fast. This brings us to Pizza Tower’s signature move, the Mach Dash. While in the Mach Dash, Peppino travels extremely fast, transforming his moveset to compliment the fast paced gameplay, while still being as responsive and dynamic as the base moveset. Switching between the two movesets is also seamless, as the level design allows for both types of movement to be used at any stage in the game, depending on the level of skill of the player.
With regards to the levels, despite all having different styles and gimmicks, they all stay true to the rule that both playstyles (slow and fast) are accommodated, and even have features that benefit each of them. For example, the game often likes to hide secret breakable walls at places where the player might accidentally bump into, giving another level of satisfaction at finding something you wouldn’t have found otherwise if you werent dashing. Although, despite their similarities, all the levels have a different signature gimmick used to distinguish themselves from each other. An example can be found in PizzaScape (A spoof of RuneScape, a popular MMORPG from the early 2000s), where Peppino can aquire a knight costume, and slide along ramps to crash into enemies.
Art/Design:
Given that aquiring higher ranks in the levels can be difficult and time consuming, it’s almost a miracle that while spending all that time grinding, you get to be graced by Pizza Tower’s excellent soundtrack and visual design. Taking a page from Classic Nicktoons, Pizza Tower features slapstick characters drawn in MS Paint, contributing to it’s retro/90s feel. The art compliments the game’s ridiculous story, since it’s also easily just as ridiculous, with all the characters being completely unrealistic, ranging from a lanky debt collector to a gremlin pretending to be the Noid. Your vision isnt the only sense that gets a treat, as the soundtrack from this game is absolutely astounding. The soundtrack was composed by multiple people, who contributed a few songs to the overall soundtrack, most of which using instruments from WarioLand 4, as a musical homage to Pizza Tower’s spiritual predecessor. The genres range from Rock to Electronic, all of which keeping the funky style the game is known for.
Overall:
If you’re looking for a fun platformer with good visuals and music, look no further than Pizza Tower. Personally, I had a lot of fun playing through the game, even while getting some of the P-Ranks!
Final Rating:
Gameplay: 9/10
Artstyle: 10/10
Soundtrack: 10/10