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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: Pizza Tower
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:You have your choice of three save slots - six if you count the three additional slots for the Noise - and your progress is automatically saved when you clear a level. To pause the game, press ESC at any time to bring up the game's menu. Time needed per session:Each stage can take about ten minutes to clear, so expect to play for at least fifteen minutes at a time.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | Some players may have concerns The biggest problems with this game is some swearing and unexpectedly scary images. Parents may also balk at the art style, which resembles the style used by some highly controversial cartoons from back in the day. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pizza_tower_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pizza_tower_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pizza_tower_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Pizza Tower is a fast, crazy indie platformer that's all about speed, lightning fast acrobatics, and delicious pizza. It's especially known for its detailed (and slightly deranged) animation style, which is much more lively and fluid what you'll find in the majority of today's sprite based games.
The game's story is about as simple as you can get. Peppino Spaghetti's pizzeria just isn't making enough money, and now Pizzaface (a giant living cheese pizza) has threatened to use his "death ray" to foreclose the business. Facing both a heavy debt and immanent destruction, Peppino decides to deal with the problem in his own unique way.
...in other words, he's going to ransack Pizzaface's tower for all its worth and then help Pizzaface rearrange his toppings, if you know what I mean.
Gameplay wise, everything boils down to how fast and accurately you can have Peppino run through an area. Levels in this game are designed like elaborate race courses, encouraging players to rush through them as quickly as they can while still managing to collect the five hidden pizza toppings along the way.
Part of what makes navigating the different areas interesting is the fact that Peppino can't be injured by any of the hazards or enemies he encounters. Instead, he'll just be bounced backwards a short distance and lose some points. Many enemies (and objects) can also trigger "transformations" - different forms Peppino can temporarily take on in order to use new abilities or new ways of interacting with the level.
Or at least, that's a summary of how things normally operate. Near the end of each level is a large block with an equally large grumpy looking face. This character is Pillar John, and once you defeat him, the second phase of the level begins.
Known as Pizza Time, this phase of the gameplay alters the level layout and challenges the players to rush back to the start of the level as quickly as possible. Should the level timer run out while you're still running around, Pizzaface will awaken and begin chasing Peppino. If Pizzaface manages to catch you - and he probably will - then you'll be unceremoniously kicked out of the level and have to try it all over again.
If you do successfully return to the door, Peppino will rate your overall performance (based on how many points you earned) and you'll be paid $10 for each topping you managed to rescue. This money won't actually be used to secure the pizzeria's future though - instead you'll be using it to buy access to the tower's boss rooms. Each floor of the tower is "guarded" by a unique boss, and you'll only be able to move on by defeating them in a flashy one-on-one duel.
As for Pizzaface himself, he's waiting for you on the top floor, where he acts as the game's final boss. Taking him down requires surviving multiple phases and an abridged boss rush, making it quite the climatic battle.
Overall, it's very clear that the Pizza Tower's developers had a lot of fun making this game and did their best to make it even more fun to play. After playing it through, I'd have to say that they did an excellent job of it.
I'd strongly recommend Pizza Tower for anybody who loves silly games that don't take themselves too seriously, enjoys platformers, or just want to see what all the hype is about. This is a rare gem of a game, and it's worth the price of admission.
The game's story is about as simple as you can get. Peppino Spaghetti's pizzeria just isn't making enough money, and now Pizzaface (a giant living cheese pizza) has threatened to use his "death ray" to foreclose the business. Facing both a heavy debt and immanent destruction, Peppino decides to deal with the problem in his own unique way.
...in other words, he's going to ransack Pizzaface's tower for all its worth and then help Pizzaface rearrange his toppings, if you know what I mean.
Gameplay wise, everything boils down to how fast and accurately you can have Peppino run through an area. Levels in this game are designed like elaborate race courses, encouraging players to rush through them as quickly as they can while still managing to collect the five hidden pizza toppings along the way.
Part of what makes navigating the different areas interesting is the fact that Peppino can't be injured by any of the hazards or enemies he encounters. Instead, he'll just be bounced backwards a short distance and lose some points. Many enemies (and objects) can also trigger "transformations" - different forms Peppino can temporarily take on in order to use new abilities or new ways of interacting with the level.
Or at least, that's a summary of how things normally operate. Near the end of each level is a large block with an equally large grumpy looking face. This character is Pillar John, and once you defeat him, the second phase of the level begins.
Known as Pizza Time, this phase of the gameplay alters the level layout and challenges the players to rush back to the start of the level as quickly as possible. Should the level timer run out while you're still running around, Pizzaface will awaken and begin chasing Peppino. If Pizzaface manages to catch you - and he probably will - then you'll be unceremoniously kicked out of the level and have to try it all over again.
If you do successfully return to the door, Peppino will rate your overall performance (based on how many points you earned) and you'll be paid $10 for each topping you managed to rescue. This money won't actually be used to secure the pizzeria's future though - instead you'll be using it to buy access to the tower's boss rooms. Each floor of the tower is "guarded" by a unique boss, and you'll only be able to move on by defeating them in a flashy one-on-one duel.
As for Pizzaface himself, he's waiting for you on the top floor, where he acts as the game's final boss. Taking him down requires surviving multiple phases and an abridged boss rush, making it quite the climatic battle.
Overall, it's very clear that the Pizza Tower's developers had a lot of fun making this game and did their best to make it even more fun to play. After playing it through, I'd have to say that they did an excellent job of it.
I'd strongly recommend Pizza Tower for anybody who loves silly games that don't take themselves too seriously, enjoys platformers, or just want to see what all the hype is about. This is a rare gem of a game, and it's worth the price of admission.
Points of Interest
Tons of secrets
Each level contains five toppings, three secret areas, and a hidden treasure. Of these, only the toppings are really mandatory, and even then you don't need to collect them all in order to reach Pizzaface and beat the game.
The secret areas are like miniature levels that test your skills and award extra points. Finding and completing these rooms is essential for anybody attempting to earn a high ranking.
The treasures are a bit harder to acquire, as they are stored in a locked room. Only Gerome, the local janitor, has the key. To grab the treasure, find Gerome, lead him to the locked door, and go inside. You might need to hurry though, as Pizza Time tends to be active when this is possible.
Players can also unlock new outfit patterns for the playable characters by accomplishing different feats during their game. Unfortunately, there aren't any in-game hints to let you know how to unlock them, so you'll need to experiment a bit or find a walkthrough.
The secret areas are like miniature levels that test your skills and award extra points. Finding and completing these rooms is essential for anybody attempting to earn a high ranking.
The treasures are a bit harder to acquire, as they are stored in a locked room. Only Gerome, the local janitor, has the key. To grab the treasure, find Gerome, lead him to the locked door, and go inside. You might need to hurry though, as Pizza Time tends to be active when this is possible.
Players can also unlock new outfit patterns for the playable characters by accomplishing different feats during their game. Unfortunately, there aren't any in-game hints to let you know how to unlock them, so you'll need to experiment a bit or find a walkthrough.
Alternate Endings
After the credits finish rolling, you'll face your "judgement". This sounds dire and is even treated as if it's a terrible thing to experience, but in reality it's just a rating of your performance during the game. Perhaps the worst judgement is what you get for allowing Peppino to be injured one too many times - he calls the police pig on you.
There is also a hidden ending that can be obtained through 100% completion - good luck earning it!
There is also a hidden ending that can be obtained through 100% completion - good luck earning it!
Bonus Playable Characters
During some levels, players temporarily control Peppino's brother, Gustavo. After completing the game for the first time, players unlock the ability to play as the Noise, a totally rad mascot character who is both one of the bosses and a parody of Domino's old mascot, the Noid.
Steam community features
Although there is a set of Steam trading cards available for Pizza Tower, most players are going to be interested in the many achievements on offer. There are a lot of them - 74 in total - and the majority of them can only be earned while playing through specific levels. Even then, you'll need to go out of your way to earn them, as they have requirements like defeating every enemy of a given type, never getting hit by a certain obstacle, or doing the same thing enough times in a row.
Concerns and Issues
Animation style may bother some parents
Pizza Tower's lively and fluid animation style is based on cartoons from the 1990s. This sort of thing isn't typically an issue, but some of those cartoons were notoriously controversial (especially in Christian circles), and parents who recognize this style may assume that Pizza Tower features equally controversial content.
Thankfully, even though there is a little crude humor here and there, this is not the case.
Thankfully, even though there is a little crude humor here and there, this is not the case.
Moderate violence
Combat in Pizza Tower isn't graphic or bloody, but it is depicted using punches, kicks, and even large chomps of Peppino's massive teeth. You'll also encounter the classic cartoon "big cloud of violence" when two characters grapple and beat each other up.
An especially noteworthy detail is that enemies in this game can panic or scream if they see Peppino barreling towards them at full speed - a detail that can either be funny or worrisome, depending on your point of view.
An especially noteworthy detail is that enemies in this game can panic or scream if they see Peppino barreling towards them at full speed - a detail that can either be funny or worrisome, depending on your point of view.
Controversial caricatures
Some of the characters in this game could be seen as unflattering or even offensive caricatures, depending on who you ask. One example is the police force of Pig City, which is comprised entirely of pigs. However, since everyone in Pig City, including taxi drivers and an Elvis impersonator, is a pig, this doesn't really look like it was intended as an insult.
Another character that may be seen as offensive are the many Catholic priests found throughout the game. Their only role is to "bless" Peppino, which restores him to normal if he's currently transformed. They also appear on the pause menu, flying away on their balloons.
Another character that may be seen as offensive are the many Catholic priests found throughout the game. Their only role is to "bless" Peppino, which restores him to normal if he's currently transformed. They also appear on the pause menu, flying away on their balloons.
Swearing
Jarringly, some parts of this game openly feature swearing. A pretty direct example is a level found near the end of the game, which contains a swear word in its name. One of the possible (though rare) Judgements also contains a curse word.
Scary scenes and jump scares
Some areas of the tower are intended to be unsettling or scary, but there are also a few cases where things move from scary to disquieting. One of these is a level that's clearly a nod to another famous video game about a pizzeria, complete with chase sequences, full screen jump scares, and startling noises. There's no blood or real consequences for being caught, but it still manages to be startling some of the time.
Some of the other scary surprises are less well known or obvious, such as a few of the images that can be displayed on the television monitor when Peppino gets hurt one too many times. Managing to make them appear either takes a lot of effort, which makes them something akin to a spooky easter egg.
One of the NPCs in the tower lobby might be hinting at the existence of these surprises - if you talk to them, they'll claim that hurting Peppino too much will send the player to Hell.
Some of the other scary surprises are less well known or obvious, such as a few of the images that can be displayed on the television monitor when Peppino gets hurt one too many times. Managing to make them appear either takes a lot of effort, which makes them something akin to a spooky easter egg.
One of the NPCs in the tower lobby might be hinting at the existence of these surprises - if you talk to them, they'll claim that hurting Peppino too much will send the player to Hell.
Occasional magical themes
Every section of the tower has its own theme, and this does mean that you'll encounter supernatural stuff from time to time. For example, there are ghosts in some levels, and Peppino can even become one for a brief time (complete with Pac-Man waka waka waka sound effects).