Review Adventures of Pip - Simple and too light

Publisher:
Tic Toc Games

Developer:
Tic Toc Games

Release date: March 16 , 2015

Platform:
PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch, Mobile

Originally released on the Wii U in 2013, Adventures of Pip tells the story of an ordinary pixelated character caught up in a journey to rescue his kingdom's princess, Princess Adeline. The princess is kidnapped by an evil queen, Queen DeRezzia, who is determined to turn the entire world into a single piece of land, allowing her to control and rule the world. gender.

What sets the plot apart, however, are the not-so-subtle hints about the bit-counting class structure of the pixelated characters in this land. People with higher bit numbers have a high position in society and constantly speak ill of and belittle those who are only made of 8 or 1 bits. 

Throughout the game, Pip is constantly esteemed and patronized by most of the rest of the characters as he is only created in 1 bit, even though Pip is the hero of the story. There was even a time when a group of knights even dropped Pip into the sewer just because of his few bits.

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While there is certainly an underlying political message on class issues, it has rarely evolved into anything more than an excuse for a joke. It would have been nice if there was more story development, but unfortunately it sticks too closely to its classic platformer roots of putting the story behind to focus on gameplay.

As mentioned above, Adventures of Pip is a standard 2D platformer that focuses on shifting between bit counts. During Pip's journey, he meets fallen soldiers who have granted Pip the power to use the bit stream, the world's pixel energy, to change between 1, 8 and 16-bit forms. Each form has different strengths and weaknesses, to prevent one form from overpowering another.

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For example, the 1-bit form can jump higher and can surf, the 8-bit form can jump walls, and the 16-bit form can use swords. However, the problem lies in how to handle changing between forms. While Pip can evolve at any time to a lower number of bits, he cannot evolve to a higher number of bits without killing a certain glowing enemy. 

This means that instead of using the form that players like best, they mostly have trouble using the form the game wants them to use. Having the ability to seamlessly switch between forms would go a long way to improving the player's experience, giving them the freedom to wield swords or surf whenever they want.

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Another problem lies in the way the levels are designed. For the most part, especially in the early game, there's little that makes each level stand out from the other. There are eight levels for each world, with each world revolving around a theme. However, unlike the Mario or Donkey Kong levels, the levels rarely contain any unique mechanics, making every level in the Prairie area feel the same.

For example, in the first world, the only distinguishing gameplay mechanic across the eight levels is a single level that forces Pip to move around a giant tree. After a few levels in a similar theme, the game starts to feel very repetitive because all the levels are interconnected. 

One thing that stands out, however, is the soundtrack. Choreographed by the hands of Jake Kaufman, each track creates wonderful emotions, bringing life to an increasingly boring world.

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When it comes to add-ons, Adventures of Pip isn't much better. Throughout the levels, there are two main collections: villagers and bits. There are three villagers hidden in each level, some well hidden, but other than a crown in the level to collect them all, there is no incentive to go find them. 

As for the bits, they act as currency for the shops in the hub that can be used to upgrade some of the Pip's abilities, such as adding health or bit multipliers. However, since the game is incredibly easy, these are more of an extra bonus than something absolutely essential to collect. Even the bosses in the game seem to be just for coloring, instead of real challenges.

To sum up, Adventures of Pip makes the biggest mistake a game can make: boring. A great soundtrack doesn't justify bland design, a limited bit-shifting gimmick, and a lackluster story. So, although the game has a lot of potential, it is let down by a lack of creativity and risk.

Samuel Daniel

Update 05 January 2022