Pizza Tower Review (NBlast)
Beautifully deranged shit-post on the outside, stellar action platformer on the inside.
It’s really hard to find a fault in Pizza Tower. As hard as I try, I can only think of minor nitpicks. This game does everything right when it comes to providing a premier speed platforming experience.
Controls might require some time to adjust, but that’s just because character’s movements simulate inertia of an overweight middle-aged Italian acting as a freight train… with scientific precision. Your options for tacking obstacles are plenty and thanks to stellar animations and sound design, you can feel every jump, every mile-per-hour running and every enemy pulverized on your path.
Level design is also near flawless. Stages not only burst with style and creativity, but also provide tons of gimmicks and transformations that spice your gameplay - like chili pepper and oregano on your usual Diavola pizza. I would be hard pressed to find level geometry that doesn’t go well with flow of the controls. Readability of obstacles, enemies and collectibles is crystal clear. So clear are also boss patterns – a secret ingredient that makes occasional battles fun and challenging.
Presentation speaks for itself. I can understand if it’s not somebody’s cup of tea, but artstyle’s insanity is intoxicating. It might look ugly at first, but paradoxically, it feels surprisingly cohesive. Pizza Tower’s world feels seamless and you have no trouble immersing yourself into its embrace. Soundtrack also helps on that front by being genuine funky bangers all around.
For the aforementioned nitpicks - I am really gasping for straws here. I guess tutorials for characters could be more elegant and less frontload with information? Controls are also a little less fine tuned for secret hunting than speedy traversal. This might be a problem at the very start, but after you get used to it – it’s not a big hurdle.
Pizza Tower is not especially difficult to just beat, but it does provide a tough but very fair challenge in form of P Ranks. Those can bump your 5-6 hours playthrough to far bigger numbers. I would definitely recommend sticking to the game until 100% completion – not for a prize, but for a hard but very rewarding experience.
Liking 2D platformers and not discouraged by game’s looks? I can last time assure you that toppings used here are top-quality and sauce is prepared by one of the best in the business. Peppino’s Pizzeria is always welcoming to new customers.