A Cutesy Trinket
An Arkedo studio game is guaranteed to be coated in a distinct charm and whimsy. Pixel! is a fine example of their talents at work. The eye-catching graphics really pop and the music is snazzy and fun. But when it comes to the actual game, nearly all gamers will find Pixel! to be a hum-drum platformer that retreads ancient territory. As a blocky blue cat you'll jump on the heads of space mice and waltzing apples. You'll leap over triangular spikes to snag hold of a ladder. You'll carefully pounce across perilously tiny nimbus clouds or else you'll fall in water. The most disappointing thing about a game that is so sugary-sweet to the eyes is that it is so plain and ordinary to play.
Sure there are a few diversions. Pixel the cat might get stoned on mushrooms and be forced to walk backwards. You might zoom in on a specific puzzle to solve a simple maze which grants you..."useless relics" or at best a health refill. At one point the game had me counting the pixels within my 3 life hearts to progress to the next stage. Squinting painfully at the screen with its fluorescent white on blue backdrop, I couldn't help but wonder: Is this any fun?
The game controls are average for a platformer. It's largest annoyance is that by default you're forced to hold down the trigger to get any real platforming done because the right trigger makes Pixel the cat sprint and jump higher. The wimpy default jump just won't cut it. If you pounce on enough enemies' heads in succession you'll get a 'meow' attack that will allow you to wipe out multiple enemies but this is rarely used to any great gameplay effect. And smashing down on a foe's head is not always as easy as it seems: the hit detection is odd and irregular. Sometimes you can smack the 'corner' of a enemy's noggin and at other times you'll need to land Pixel smack dab in the middle of the baddie's cranium.
In an age when there are hundreds of free and legal games to be snagged, it's really disappointing to see such artistic potential to be squandered on a wimpy little game that can be finished in about an hour. Take a look at a game like Spelunky (which will eventually be debuting on XBLA) that manages to merge elements of a rogue-like with a classic platformer. It features a vast amount of exploration and truly encourages replayability. Pixel! was created by a very small team and in a very short time span and I have to give them credit for being leaps and bounds above the entirety of Xbox Live Indie Games. However, Pixel! can't escape its simplistic platforming roots to be anything better than a simply average game. I really hope that Arkedo studios manages to find the time, resources, and inspiration to create something really worthwhile and lasting. I hope one day we'll see their cutesy little octopus stamped on a real gem and not just a cutesy trinket.
