Yeah, yeah, I know we have heavy hitters likeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandFinal Fantasy XIVknocking on the typicalGame of the Yearnominations, delivering high-flying action in extreme fidelity. But, I’m here today to tell you the story of a single man, coming from the fictional world of Italy who just so happens to run his own business in a specific field. That’s right,Pizza Towerhas claimed and controlled my life for the past six months, and I don’t think anything is coming close to it before the year is done.
What Is Pizza Tower?
Pizza Toweris a frantic, fast-paced 2D platformer featuring some of the most expressive sprite work I’ve ever witnessed within a video game world. You take control of a regularItalianman by the name ofPeppino Spaghettiand work your way through stages that complement both a slow and methodical playstyle or speed that would makeSonic the Hedgehogsweat. Fun fact of the day,Peppino Spaghettiis also somehow the fastest video game character to exist, running at speeds equaling at leastMach 3, or993.9 meters per second.
Beyond that, you’ve got countless creative choices made through each of the levels, secrets to find,Toppinsto save, andGeromesto help. TheWario Land 4-inspiration is worn onPizza Tower’ssleeve and feels like a return to the golden age of platforming. Even jumping into old favorites feels less satisfying due to how versatilePeppino’smoveset is.
You can speed likeSonic, use theShinesparklikeSamus, taunt to deflect attacks, and evenbreakdanceat the push of a button. It oozes of charm, originality, and pizazz. And we haven’t even touched on the soundtrack and sound design yet.
Pizza Tower’s Soundtrack Is Infectious
From the moment I saw thereveal trailer, the soundtrack felt like pure adrenaline injected directly into my veins. Again, much likeWario Land 4, you touch thePillar Johnat the end of a level, and you’ll need to race back to the beginning as quickly as you can with this blaring in your eardrums. Just hearing it doesn’t do it justice, as you’ll need to reverse your course back to the start of a level while learning the new layout of the world around you.
That is: unless you’re feeling risky enough to try for aSecond Lap. You’ll be treated to a completely different track, one that amplifies the tension tenfold and makes the arrival of the villainPizza Faceeven more terrifying. No matter what portion of the game you’re in,Pizza Towerhas some of the most electrifying music I’ve ever witnessed, and it still has not escaped my ears or my mind.
The shrill screech ofPeppinoevokes the memories of90’s cartoons, the expressive facial animations that pair alongside them, and the sound of your feet smashing into the concrete below your feet while screaming across the land at speeds faster than we could ever comprehend makePizza Towera visual and audio feast for the soul. It’s obnoxious, loud, and abrasive in the best possible way.
What About The Levels?
Animation and sound will only get you so far, especially in a platforming game. That’s whereTour De Pizzabrings out the spiciest of meatballs. The level design is peak platforming action with some of the best-kept secrets in gaming. You also get to venture forth withMort the Chickenfrom the PlayStation 1 classicMort The Chickenduring one of the most memorable stages in the game.
There is plenty to explore, so you don’t always need to go fast, but thanks to the excellentcontrol schemein place here, you’ll never run into an issue gettingPeppinoto obey your command. Responsive controls, a variety of moves that you can use to your advantage to utilize advanced routes through stages, it feels like there is an endless drove of potential forPeppinoand the gang. Even taking control of the slower and more methodicalGustavo & Brickfeels fantastic, even if they are a little underutilized.
For people like me that happen to jump into games and find the need to master every portion of them, there is a specialRanking Systemin play here, with scores that go beyond even the covetedS-Rank. That’s right, trying toP-Ranka stage is going to require the utmost skill and control, and if you put your mind to it, you may be able to make it happen.
And finally, we have to talk about the bosses. From the totally original, not borderline copyright-infringingThe Noiseto the giant blob of cheese with a gun,The Vigilante, you’ll have a variety of different bosses you’ll need to bring the pain to. Each of these stages are created with a special gimmick in mind, so learn their patterns and take them down. Every fight is filled to the brim with action, so you’ll need to wipe the sauce off your fingers before going into these battles.
The Impact Of Pizza Tower On Me
I discoveredPizza Towerrandomly one day when the reveal trailer was algorithmically pointed in my direction, and I would like to think it was some form of divine intervention. I’ve always been a fan of platforming games, and seeing something like this immediately piqued my interest and become my hyper-fixation for a fair few months. Sorry to everyone that had to deal with that, but you gotta spread the good word somehow, you know?
Ironically enough,Pizza Towerhit virality a couple of times on sites like Twitter due to memes likePeppino Screamingand theGnome Forest opening card, akaLario. But, to me, it’s something that will eternally hold a spot near and dear to my heart. It quickly disrupted mytop 10 games of all timelist that I keep in my mind, and as a debut effort, I can’t wait to see what elseTour De Pizzahas cooking behind the scenes.
This wasn’t supposed to be a review, but if I had to givePizza Towera score…
A copy of this game has taken over my life. Reviewed on PC.
Shaun Cichacki
As a fan of RPGs, Action & Retro titles, Shaun has been gaming since he was a young boy. With an overwhelming obsession involving Metal Gear Solid and Pizza Tower, you know you’re in for a wild ride when it comes to things he’s writing about.
