Adventures of Pip Review

Adventures of Pip is an action-platformer, developed by Tic Toc Games. This is a unique platformer, that introduces some interesting gameplay mechanics and vibrant visual style.

You play as a character called Pip, who starts out as a small red pixel. You slowly gain the ability to turn into an 8-bit character, and then a 16-bit character, by absorbing pixels. There isn’t a hugely deep narrative here, which is normally the case for most platformers like these. The game starts in a kingdom, where you are a single pixel that is less superior to the 16-bit characters. An evil Queen breaks in and kidnaps the beloved princess. Pip sets out to save the princess and prove that his can be a hero.

The game sees you travel through five different locations, each have around eight levels for each. The levels aren’t particularly long, but they do become very challenging, and you will die pretty often. The game takes a lot of trial and error and the checkpoints throughout the levels are vital. There are also collectables hidden through the levels in the form of lost villagers.

The main aspect of the game is the unique twist on the platforming and way in which your character can change forms. As I said, you start out as a single red pixel, but you have the ability to evolve into 8-bit and 16-bit versions of yourself. The different forms possess different abilities and gameplay features. When you are a single pixel, you hop along and have the ability to jump and glide. When you are in 8-bit form, you can do things like wall jump, to get up ledges and gaps. In 16-bit mode, you are much slower, but you have a sword to take down enemies in your path. You have to change forms multiple times during stages to be able to progress. You can form by attacking an enemy which is glowing bright blue.

It takes some getting used t at first, but once you figure out the basic gameplay it slowly starts to feel natural. The level design is varied and at times intricately put together in a way that requires you to actually think about how to approach each situation. The form changing aspect also keeps gameplay fresh, and you never stay in the same form for too long. Much of the level design is based on puzzle solving, and you have to think about what form you need to be to progress.

The enemies in the game are varied and placed in strategic ways, that mean you have to adapt and think about what form to be. The levels see you face a range of obstacles and traps during your journey. There are large gaps to glide across, spikes, pits and other things to face. The game also has a tonne of secret areas that can be discovered. At the end of each location, you will have to face a boss. These can get incredibly challenging, and require you to figure out how to beat them. This will take some trial and error, but does feel satisfying.

During the game you will collect pixels, that you can spend on upgrades and boosts. Upgrades include things like damage reduction, or the ability to restore health. The game seems to have more pixels to collect as you progress, and these upgrades come in very useful. Chests can be found throughout stages that contain pixels.

The game has awesome style and presentation throughout. The characters are wonderfully designed and animated, and there are a nice range of enemies to face. The bosses are also visually impressive as they loom over tiny Pip. The environments are unique and well designed, and the actual design of the layout of levels feels concise and thoughtful. The level design requires you to think about how to approach situations and plan your movement. The worlds are vibrant, colourful and interesting to explore. The sound design is also worth mentioning, with an awesome soundtrack and sound effects that suit the overall style of the game.

Overall Adventures of Pip is a great little platformer, with awesome visual presentation and strong character design. There isn’t much of a story, but there doesn’t need to be as the gameplay feels intuitive, fluid and unique. The game does get pretty tough, with some interesting puzzles and boss battles. This is a game that’s certainly worth checking out if you like platforming games, and this offers some interesting new features.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.