Making Pixels Cute Again
I recently picked up "Pixel" while browsing random games on Xbox Live, and I'm glad I did! Being an indie game, it's set at a very low price (around $5 or less I believe). That being said, the visual style in this game is fantastic. It is a world of blue and white tones that pop out of the screen as you play. The audio ranges from super cute and catchy to annoying... just like other popular 8-bit titles! ;)
You play as Pixel, a cute little 8-bit cat that is one an epic journey to "Meow Town" to join up with his kitty friends. It is a true-to-the-genre platforming side-scroller that has you leaping over spikes and water, jumping from ladder to ladder, and most importantly, killing baddies by stomping o ntheir heads. If you defeat 5 baddies in a row, your "meow" meter fills up, and you can press Y to let out a devastating meow of death to anything in front of you. Yeah, it's more adorable than it sounds.
Mixed in with the levels is a mini-game mechanic that requires you pull out an on-screen magnifying glass to "zoom in" on specific items in the world. Some of them are simply chests that contain health, while others are used to unlock areas or defeat "boss" type characters, although there aren't any true bosses in the game. While these were a neat idea, they can be a bit tedious, and sometimes seem kind of pointless.
While the game is over in around 6 levels, you are increasingly challenged with each new world you explore, with the last being pretty difficult. Still, the game is quite short, and you should be able to complete it in just a couple hours in one sitting. This isn't a terrible thing, as you're not paying a premium price for the title, but it really leaves you wishing you can continue the adventure.
Pixel is one of those diamonds in the rough that is the Indie store on Xbox Live. It's a great little pickup and play title that will definitely entertain if you're looking for a break between your current major title sessions.
